Darkness & Light
by RainDragon28
Summary: King of Dragons Part 2 what-if. Astrid's skills as a warrior, second-in-command and lover are put to the test when Hiccup is found left for dead in the cavern of the King of Dragons. With complications following up this dramatic situation, it's up to her to do the heavy lifting. For Hiccup. For the Riders. And for Berk.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! Didn't take very long before I published again, did it? I told myself that if I was to write another fanfic, that perhaps I should write the whole thing before publishing. You know. To avoid dragging the story on for 2 years as I've done previously. So here you have it. **

**Warning! Story energy warning. I know we all love the Hiccup!whump (our favorite on the menu), and I promise, there is (it's an unstoppable habit of mine). The story itself will mostly turn around Astrid's perspective of things. Not a POV (I hate those, never gonna write one). We just pretty much follow her the whole time. **

**Fun fact: I got this idea from a dream. And funny thing, I dreamed it the same night I published my last chapter for "Venom". I thought it was over. But no. My brain wouldn't let me rest. "No, gurl, you gotta write more..!" *sigh* Don't get me wrong, I love writing. And I love you guys.**

**Based off of Heartland (if you even know the show). Season 7, Episode 10 (if you're interested). But don't go check it out, _moron_. It'll spoil this story :(**

**NOW! Enjoy :)**

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"Think, Hiccup. Think, think, think," mumbled Hiccup, opening his eyes on the hollow over which he dangled.

He stared down, searching for solutions – anything at all - that would get him out of the messy web he'd gotten himself tangled into. His eye caught the metallic glare of his prosthetic and his eyes lit up. He looked back up at Inferno, still aflame and starting to melt the ice in which its blade was stuck. He didn't have much longer before it lost its grip. So he quickly went to work, grabbing the King of Dragons' egg and pressing it against the icy wall, holding it in place with the top of his head. With now one of his hands freed, he proceeded to detach his metal leg and immediately stick the sharp end into the cliffside. His sword gave out from the hot and cold exposure, cutting the blade in half. Hiccup grunted as he worked his way up, the sharp breaking of the ice echoing all the way down to the very bottom of the ice cavern. The sharp spikes of ice below seemed to growl at him dangerously, narrowing their eyes like a dangerous creature that refused to leave its nest. He was progressive, using both good and bad legs to climb back to the top. But his heart sank when his boot slipped against the icy surface, immediately dragging his body with it. He dangled sideways from one hand, catching the egg right on time as it plunged for the unseen bottom. He groaned at the effort, placing it back between the wall and his head. His arms were shaking from the tension, threatening to give out any moment now. He panted, his lungs hurting from the high demand of oxygen his muscles asked. He stopped, taking a moment to breathe and sighed upon realizing he was nearly up to the edge. Just a little more and he'd be safe.

Boy was he wrong.

"Bravo, Master Hiccup!" called out Johann and Hiccup's eye flashed wide open. The Dragon Rider felt his heart drop, quickly realizing he couldn't be in a worse position. "I didn't know you had that in you. You must see the delicious irony of your situation, Hiccup."

The weight on his head was lifted and Hiccup looked up while Johann observed the egg and put it down next to him. He then crouched before him with a smug smile stretched on his face. It was like all the effort he'd just put into saving this egg had been in vain. And there was no worst feeling than seeing it rest between your enemy's clutches.

"The final resting place of the champion of dragons will reside in the King of Dragons' birth nest," continued Johann, standing up and grabbing his Dragon Root-coated spear. He touched the sharp tip repetitively before pointing it down at Hiccup's face. Hiccup drew his head back, imagining the sharp end piercing his skin. "Sheer poetry."

The traitor lowered the spear down on Hiccup who looked both sides rapidly, searching for any sort of escape that would allow him to be spared. But there were none and he looked back at Johann, eyes filled with fright. He watched fearfully as Johann drew it back, ready to bring it down on him. The Rider shut his eyes tight, ready for the incoming pain, only for a plasma blast to blow Johann right off his feet, shredding his one-way ticket to Valhalla.

Hiccup looked back up, smiling. "Good job, bud," he said, confidence rapidly returning. "I knew you'd find me."

He heard Johann whimper and Toothless roar sharply.

"Easy, dragon," warned Johann as he slowly backed away, almost losing his balance on the edge of the cliff.

Hiccup climbed what remained of the cliff and grasped the edge. But what he saw didn't please him.

"Krogan!" he shouted as he watched the Dragon Flyer pick the egg off the ground and take off.

Toothless prepared his fire at Johann, ready to finish the traitor. But his Rider had other orders for him.

"Toothless, no!" shouted Hiccup from behind Johann. "Go after the egg." Toothless grunted in confusion, holding back his fire. He angled his head to the side, disbelieving his rider.

"By all means, dragon," said Johann, the slightest hint of fear in his voice. "Off you go! After the egg!"

Toothless looked back at the exit and then at Hiccup, snarling in concern.

"Toothless, go," pleaded Hiccup, gesturing the way Krogan had taken off to. "Protect that egg. I'll be fine."

Toothless backed away, still not sure whether to save his Rider or follow his orders.

"It's okay, bud," reassured Hiccup, hurrying him to leave. "Go. Go!" The Night Fury finally nodded and sped after Krogan, following his trail. Hiccup smiled as he watched him go, trusting his dragon would keep that egg safe.

"Such heroism…" said Johann through gritted teeth, turning around to face Hiccup. The Rider returned his eyes on him, frowning angrily at the man. "And for what?" There was a smile there that Hiccup knew meant Johann had one intention and one intention only. "For what?!"

He kicked Hiccup on the shoulder, making him lose his grip on the ice and sending him back dangling from the cliffside. His broken sword and prosthetic still stuck in the wall were the only two objects keeping him alive right now.

The Rider looked back up after recovering, his arms screeching in pain. "You don't have to do this, Johann," he said, a hint of pleading in his tone.

"Oh yes," was Johann's reply as he took hold of his spear once again, returning to where he'd left off. "Yes I do, _Hiccup._"

He lifted the spear above his head and Hiccup noticed his eyes shift from him to the hollow past him. To Hiccup's surprise, instead of bringing the sharp end down on him, he brought it down on the ice where his metal leg gripped. The end of the prosthetic was already barely holding on. Johann's spear broke the ice in which it was sticking out from, sending Hiccup rocking from his sword's handle as the piece of metal fell down and disappeared in the fog. Hiccup yelped, holding on from one hand. He stared fearfully beneath him, praying to the gods for a miracle. But by the time he looked back up at Johann, the traitor was already bringing his spear down on the ice his sword grasped.

"No," he gasped, trying to grasp the ice wall but to no success. The blows from the sharp end of the spear finally broke the ice and Hiccup's heart sank. "No. No!"

It was like his world had sharply slowed down. Hiccup felt himself being pulled like he was being dragged down to Niflheim. His stomach twisted as he kept falling, down and down. He saw Johann looking at him, no identifiable emotion showing on his face. Hiccup's mind didn't race in any way. No images flashed before his eyes like they said would happen moments before death. All he could really feel was defeat. And there was nothing else he could feel but the crushing weight of having failed. His world suddenly went blurry as he got swallowed up by the heavy fog bank hovering who-knew how high above the bottom. And anyway, it's not like there was any time left to ponder on that for he rapidly reached the bottom.

And all light suddenly seized to exist.

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**Apologies if reading this felt like a waste of time but I need a recapitulation that scene. I realized I probably wrote too much when reviewing it but TOO LATE it's already all written down and I'm not feeling like putting in the extra effort. **

**Now, just for fun, I wanna know... When reading httyd fanfiction, do you picture Hiccup the exact way he looks like in the series and films, or do you have a better, more lively version? Not regarding his character but the image itself. Is he very animated-like or a little bit more fluid? LET ME KNOW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Boom. Am I not awesome?**

**Just a quick note. Updates for this story will be every three days. **

**Enjoy!**

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Darkness.

That's all there was at first. But it wasn't only dark. It was also cold. Ice-cold. It was a scary place to be. Blue rays of light broke through the water as its surface returned still, the few bubbles that hadn't risen up to the surface finally breaking through. It was till enough to become a mirror at the very bottom of the ice cavern. The rays shone down on Hiccup, lighting up his pale skin.

He sunk, further down where the light could not reach. He was unconscious, darkness and light made no difference to him at the moment. The world seemed to have forgotten about him as he descended further down where no soul could ever hope to find him. But then, one did. The massive form of the King of Dragons rose from the depths of the bottomless pool, emerging from the darkness and into the pale blue light coming from above. It growled low, almost like it was singing along to the underwater vibrations.

Hiccup's size couldn't be compared to the massive form of the dragon. But the King of Dragons didn't see such thing and picked the sinking body with its tusk, carefully lifting it back up to the surface. The movement of the water echoed loudly down here, bouncing off the base of the ice blasts reaching up high. The King of Dragons all too delicately laid the body of Hiccup down on the shoreline circling the foundations of the dragon's powerful firepower's product.

It removed its massive tusk from underneath his limp form and looked up at the grey fog separating it from the world above ground. It searched through narrowed eyes for an unwelcome visitor, baring its teeth dangerously. It inhaled heavily and released a mighty roar. Icicles barely hanging on dropped and shattered against the hard surface of the rink as the vibrations bounced off the walls.

And then it disappeared back underwater, returning to the depths of its lair. The surface of the water returned still as if nothing had ever occurred.

The air was colder than the water itself, quickly crystallizing every drop that had been removed from the mass. The wintry atmosphere didn't have pity like the King of Dragons had on Hiccup. The cold attacked right away, slowly sucking the life out of the already barely-alive form of Hiccup Haddock.

…

Astrid emerged from the thick cloud of smoke, quickly bringing Stormfly to a hover as she faced the incoming Dragon Hunter ships heading straight for the island. She looked down, her sense of logic and tactics fighting over her gut feelings on what her next move should be. But a loud and powerful call shook the air at that very moment, bringing her thought process to an abrupt stop. She turned around in the saddle to face the island. She'd never heard any king of roar sound remotely close to this one but Astrid instantly knew which dragon it came from.

"That must be the King of Dragons!" she said, turning back around to look at the soldiers on board the vessels. The roar persisted on and the Dragon Riders shared a look, wondering what was to come next.

A screech from behind her had Astrid twist around to see a Flyer on a Singetail heading right for her. The powerful dragon prepared its fire, the hot flames burning bright down its throat.

Astrid stared defiantly at the challenge and grabbed her ax. The blast collided with the heavy blade, shattering it to pieces.

The Flyer doubled-back quickly and Astrid stared down at the handle of what used to be her favorite weapon. The Singetail opened its mouth wide and Astrid's eyes flashed with fear, knowing full well she wouldn't stand a chance against the incoming heat. But then the odds changed.

Next thing she knew, every dragon she and the Dragon Riders had ever encountered since the very beginning showed up.

"What the-?" was all she'd been able to say. She hovered, watching as all the dragons from every species turned the tide. The whole occurrence was surreal and before the Riders knew it, the Flyers were no more and the Hunters retreating. The Singetails who'd been captured and forced to do the enemy's bidding flew away to freedom, leaving the sky free of menace.

"Alright, everyone!" called Astrid to the rest of the Riders as they joined into flight formation, soaring through the smoke and above the enemy ships. "Let's finish this!"

…

The King of Dragons' egg lied still on the ground among a few small puddles of water as a result of the melting ice at the entrance of the ice cavern. Toothless carefully picked it up, knowing full well of its value. He looked sideways, gazing through narrowed eyes at Krogan who lay motionless on the ground. It was no surprise after being slapped in the face by a Night Fury's powerful tail. Toothless didn't waste more time and trotted back inside the cave to check on Hiccup. He had hated leaving his rider with Johann despite the direct orders Hiccup had given him to protect that egg. He'd known what had been at stake but leaving Hiccup's side had felt wrong and he feared for his safety.

And his worries had been correct.

Johann walked away from the rink, spear at hand. Toothless froze to the spot, growling warningly with the egg still safely tucked between his jaws. The man showed no other emotion but annoyance. The Night Fury didn't like the look. Toothless swiped his tail aggressively while Johann drew his Dragon Root coated spear, the sharp end pointing down at him threateningly.

"Easy, dragon," said Johann and the Night Fury narrowed his eyes, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to fire or bite without dropping the egg. So he took a step back and Johann took one forward.

Toothless' eyes shot passed the traitor to where he'd last seen his rider but there was no one there anymore. There wasn't even a sound of struggle that would suggest he was still there. Johann noticed the dragon had been distracted and brought the spear down on him. The Night Fury was fast enough not to get impaled by the sharp tip, but still not fast enough to avoid being cut. Toothless roared sharply at the sudden pain and dropped the egg, sending it rolling to Johann's foot.

"That's right, dragon," said Johann through gritted teeth. "You won't be able to save your master this time."

Toothless growled low in reply, feeling the energy slowly get drained out of his body. His head felt heavy and legs very weak. He narrowed his eyes to slits, shaking his head sideways at the buzzing filling his mind. He took a step forward toward the man only to collapse completely. His senses were overwhelmed, making it impossible for him to even move.

"After all this time," continued Johann. Toothless watched as he lifted the egg off the ground, admiring it with wide eyes. "The King of Dragons." He looked back down at the downed dragon, a smile printed on his face. "All thanks to your master, of course."

Footsteps echoed from the entrance tunnel but Toothless couldn't identify the smell. Krogan approached, careful when he noticed the Night Fury lying motionless. Johann met the man's eyes and the Flyer held the gaze, knowing full well what it meant.

"I believe you dropped this," said Johann before tossing the dragon egg in his direction.

"What should we do with the Night Fury?" asked Krogan, tucking the egg under his arm. "It would surely please my employer and fetch you a high reward."

"No. Leave it," dismissed Johann, walking pass the Flyer. "We got what we came for. No need for more trouble, do we?" He picked up his spear, wiping the blood off the blade. "Get the egg out of here."

"What are you gonna do?" asked Krogan, suspicious of his partner's intentions.

"Offer my condolences to the betrothed of an old friend," said Johann, a wicked smile stretching to the corner of his mouth.

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**Random comment: Am I the only one who feels like Savage came from the Shrek universe? Just an observation... I know they're both from Dreamworks but still! That's all I had to say. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Ahh... Don't you just miss Race to the Edge? You know, the excitement of a new season coming out and all the SPOILER ALERTS! I was removing the warnings in the summaries of my old stories the other day. And I actually read one of them. Well... not entirely 'cause it was horrible. I'm thinking I'll give them a little touch-up 'cause this is embarrassing. It's like I didn't even revise before publishing.**

**I'm constantly trying to improve my English writing. My English teacher from last semester told me to shorten my sentences 'cause it gets confusing to read. And I agree. So that's different. I hope it's making your life easier too. **

**But anyway, enjoy chapter 3!**

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Stormfly swooped down on a ship and closed her talons on the mast, sinking it quickly before climbing back up in the air to avoid Dragon Root arrows from close ships.

Astrid looked down, finally able to see the war coming to an end. She wondered if Hiccup and Toothless had had as much luck as she and the other Riders and their allies. She soared above the island, finishing off the remaining Hunters. She joined Heather and Snotlout flying together nearby, scanning the village for any more sign of trouble.

"Looking good?" asked Astrid, fitting in between the Razorwhip and Monstrous Nightmare.

"Hah! Couldn't be better. Those Hunters don't stand a chance without their precious little army of Singetails," replied Snotlout to which Hookfang roared his agreement.

"Don't celebrate yet, Snotlout," warned Heather, holding on tight to the handles of her saddle. "Some of those dragons haven't been freed of their Flyers yet. The battle's not over."

As if to prove her point, a Singetail flew right by with a Flyer still on.

"Watch out!" called out Astrid, bringing her Nadder to an abrupt stop right as the four-winged dragon dove right by without acknowledging their presence.

"What just happened?" asked Snotlout, looking down as the dragon shot straight for a concentration of pine trees on the side of the island.

Astrid frowned, getting a sudden bad feeling about this. "Follow me," she ordered, hurrying after the Flyer who'd disappeared among the trees with Heather and Snotlout hot on her tail.

They quickly spotted a clearing and the mouth of a cave. The disturbance in the dirt suggested several people and/or dragons had entered it. But as they hovered, looking down, there was no Singetail or Flyer.

"Where'd they go?" asked Snotlout, scanning the area.

"We can't let them get away!" exclaimed Heather, leaning forward.

A loud screech had them all twist around to see the same Singetail flying for the sky, but with an extra passenger.

"Is that Krogan?" asked Snotlout as if it wasn't obvious.

"Yep, it's him alright," said Astrid, sighing silently. "Looks like we'll have to handle this ourselves."

"I thought Hiccup and Toothless were supposed to take care of that guy," said Snotlout, throwing his arms in the air. "Now we got extra work to do."

"He's got something with him," noticed Heather, squinting. She narrowed her eyes tighter but the figure was getting further away by second.

"Alright," said Astrid. "You two chase after him. Whatever he has with him can't be good."

"What are you gonna do?" asked Heather, obvious concern in her tone.

"I'm gonna go check on Hiccup," she informed, looking back at the cave entrance. "I'm getting the feeling he might not have been as successful as we have."

"Okay," said Heather, turning around to chase after Krogan, Snotlout following close behind. "Hurry up, Snotlout!"

"Relax! I'm right behind you," he replied, silently adding, "Geez, Louise..."

Astrid watched them go; trusting Krogan would not get away this time.

"Alright, girl," she said, patting her dragon who squawked in response. "Let's go."

Stormfly's feet hit the ground heavily, rising a small cloud of dust around them. Astrid slid down the side, taking a look around before proceeding any further. But the place looked deserted. She looked at her Deadly Nadder and made a gesture of her hand that signified to stay sharp. Stormfly immediately readied her tail spines and narrowed her pupils to slits.

They entered the cavern and the cold air inside instantly washed over her, making her breath come out as little puffs of clouds. She shivered a little before continuing on, adjusting her eyes to the darkness. But said darkness didn't last long and Astrid was greeted by a blue ceiling. Sunlight pierced through the ice, lighting up the inside of the cavern. She turned the corner and all wonder instantly came to an end as she laid eyes on Toothless' motionless form.

"Toothless!" she gasped, rushing to the Night Fury's side. She kneeled next to him, pressing her now cold hand against his head. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing. She didn't take too much time to notice the cut on his shoulder that stained his black scales dark red. She narrowed her eyes, knowing all too well who's doing this was. And if Toothless was injured then Hiccup couldn't possibly be any safer.

"Greetings, Miss Astrid!" called an all too familiar voice. Astrid bared her teeth and stood up, her back to the traitor.

"What did you do?" she asked with a threatening tonality after turning around to meet the man's eyes. "Where's Hiccup?"

His smug slowly faded away like melting snow and took a dark shade instead. "Something I should've done a long time ago," he spat, almost like he was containing himself to launch himself at her with the spear he had in hand.

Astrid's gaze fell to the floor, trying to make sense of those words. But instead of analyzing the meaning, she reached for her ax, only for her hand to close on empty over her shoulder. She quickly remembered it had been shattered by a Singetail's blast. Stormfly easily felt her distress and growled dangerously at the man, widening her wings to appear bigger.

"You're outnumbered, Johann," said Astrid, tightening her fists on her sides. "You've got nowhere to run."

Johann stared at her and chuckled quietly to himself. Astrid barely had time to register what happened next, watching the blade of the spear shine in the pale light as it flew right by her face, bouncing off her metal-spiked shoulder blade. The tip of the spear stuck in the ice floor behind her, the long, thin handle dancing from left to right at the sharp stop.

Rage sparked inside her just like the tip of the spear had on her shoulder blade. She twisted around faster than a Slitherwing dragon, tackling the traitor that had been charging her way. She didn't take it easy on him and prepared to throw a punch, only for him to catch it midair. He closed his hand on her fist, crushing her knuckles. Johann took the advantage to through his own punch but the shieldmaiden was fast enough to catch his, forcing his elbows back down. She stared down into his eyes, her black fire burning bright.

Johann wasn't intimidated though and released her fist, sending it punching down at the ice underneath them. Astrid gasped at the pain, releasing his hand to grab her injured one. Johann didn't waste more time and pushed her off with his feet, sending her crashing against the hard surface of the rink. Astrid groaned, still holding her hand. She cautiously lifted herself off the ground, her eyes never leaving Johann as he grabbed the spear. Stormfly roared sharply at him, her teeth bared and spikes at the ready.

Johann smiled in pity, aiming the Dragon Root coated tip her way.

"Easy, girl!" called Astrid, reaching out with her good hand. "Not now." The sky-blue Nadder retreated her wings, ducking her head obediently but still very angry at the traitor.

Johann turned back around to face Astrid and the two circled each other slowly. They could almost taste the tension in the air.

"You Dragon Riders have no idea what you're standing up against…" he said, pointing the blade at her, ready for her to try anything.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea," she replied, a small smile on her lips to show she wasn't afraid of him despite her position. "You and Krogan pretty much gave it away."

Johann laughed quietly, shaking his head sideways. "You think you and your pitiful friends stand a chance against us?" he asked and Astrid glared. "We have the King of Dragons. It's over."

"I'd take a look outside if I were you, Johann," said Astrid, evidently hinting that their team was winning. "Your army is gone. You have nothing."

"Why, neither do you…" said Johann. Astrid pounced, unable to keep on listening to him talk. Her battle-cry echoed all around the cavern. Johann moved out of the way as she charged and headed for the exit; only for the Rider to slam him against the rock wall of the short tunnel leading outside.

Johann collided against the hard surface and sunk to the ground. Astrid towered over him aggressively but Johann hadn't said his last words. He swung the spear, grazing her cheek with the sharp tip. The shieldmaiden stumbled backward, holding the right side of her face. She looked at her hand, watching the hot red blood drip from her fingers and staining the ground. She gritted her teeth and threw her fist at the traitor only for him to grab her wrist and swing her against the rock wall as she'd done to him moments before. Astrid gasped at the impact, barely having time to recover to find the handle of the spear pressing against her throat, trapping her there.

"You're a coward, Johann," she spat, panting.

"Maybe," he replied, shrugging insensitively. "But history will not see it that way."

Astrid's heart thumped hard in her chest. She felt the veins in her neck throbbing, expecting Johann to yank on the spear's handle and drag the blade across her throat. But a sudden sharp whistle froze the moment and Astrid stopped breathing, watching Johann's eyes go wide as he slowly backed away from her, one heavy step at the time. His mouth opened ajar and blood leaked from the corners. It's when he finally fell to his knees and collapsed forward that Astrid saw the blood-stained tail spike impaled in the man's back.

Air returned to her lungs and Astrid fell to her knees, taking a moment to recover after her near defeat.

Stormfly squawked loudly, nodding her way. She approached her rider and nuzzled her affectionately to which Astrid smiled.

"I'm okay, girl," she said, reassuring her dragon as she trailed her hand on her head. "I'm okay." She pressed her forehead against her dragon's nose horn, unable to imagine if Stormfly hadn't come to her rescue in time. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

A low growl echoed from the cave and Astrid rose back to her feet, wiping the blood off her face.

"We need to get Toothless out of here," she said, looking inside the cavern. They walked back inside and Astrid kneeled before the Night Fury who was still under the Dragon Root's effects. He needed medical attention as soon as possible and Astrid knew Stormfly couldn't carry on both her and the Night Fury at once. Especially not after fighting hundreds of Hunters and Flyers.

She turned to her dragon who awaited her orders. "Stormfly, bring him back to the village," she said, gesturing at the exit and the dragon cooed in concern. "It'll be fine. I'll stay right here." The Nadder approached Toothless and turned to face her rider as if saying, 'I'll come back for you as soon as I can.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Little surprise chapter, y'all! Yeah... Coronavirus has spread quickly. My region is under lockdown since today and will be for the next two weeks so... It's bad. Isn't this crazy? One day you're living your everyday life, doing your everyday activities, hanging out with the same people and stuff and the next day every school and every public place is shut down. But that's not a problem for me :D Not that I'm not taking this seriously but as someone who gets bored easily by routines, it's not so bad (guess I'm a little of anarchist deep down). Just gotta avoid places where there's a lot of people for the rest of the month. **

**Anyway, enough bad news and let's enjoy the good ones! Chapter 4!**

* * *

When all was still and quiet, Astrid's smile faded away. She remembered Johann's words. She had to find Hiccup. She had to. After everything they've been through, this couldn't possibly be the end. She looked up at the light blue ceiling and down at the rank, observing the marks printed on its surface. There had definitely been a struggle here; meaning Hiccup had given Krogan and Johann a good fight. She followed the trail and stopped at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the hollow as shattered ice echoed down at its bottom. The cloud hovering still made it impossible to see its depth. Astrid tightened her lips, looking around. There was nowhere to go. Johann was here. So Hiccup had to be. She backed away from the edge and looked down at her feet, noticing the deep slashes in the ice. She edged closer once again and finally saw the long scars on the ice cliff. It didn't take her too long to realize what had happened.

Astrid brought a hand up to her mouth, her eyes watering rapidly as she backed away. She started trembling and stumbled, falling out of balance. If Hiccup wasn't up here, then there's only one place he could be and Astrid didn't want to imagine how he'd ended up down there. She tried to keep herself calm and under control but images flashed before her eyes, showing different scenarios that could've taken place right here.

Her chest hurt and Astrid balled her hand into a fist, pressing it against her middle. Her emotions were taking over her and she couldn't handle it anymore. She threw her head back, looking up at the pale light and wailed, her cry of sorrow bouncing off the walls of this cold cavern that might very well be her lover's final resting place.

…

Heather held on tight to her handles as she closed in on the Singetail. Snotlout was right beside her, pressing his dragon to go faster.

"Flank 'em on the right! I'll flank 'em on the left!" she called and Snotlout nodded obediently.

They rapidly closed the distance, trapping the Flyers between them. Krogan looked very displeased, holding tight to what Heather had now identified as an egg.

The Singetail's eyes focused on both the Monstrous Nightmare and the Razorwhip. Windshear growled sharply as if tempting it to try anything. But the fiery dragon was stubborn and kept going, dragging them up and down, left and right. It didn't like the pressure and prepared its fire as a warning. But Hookfang and Windshear were equally stubborn and refused to give up. The four-winged dragon started to buck, trying to get rid of the extra weight that was slowing it down. If it ever wanted to escape these two dragons, it would have to be a bit faster.

The Flyers were not ready for the ride and flew right over the Singetail's head, sending them plunging down towards the Hunter ships below.

"The egg! Go after the egg!" shouted Heather.

"On it!" Snotlout dived after it which had thankfully been separated from the Flyer.

Heather went after Krogan who plummeted down fast. As much as she would love to watch him crash and break something – or even better, die, - Heather knew Krogan would be much more valuable to them alive than dead. She quickly closed the distance between her and the Flyer and Windshear successfully grabbed the man by one foot, preventing him from hitting the surface of the water just in time. She looked over her shoulder as Snotlout joined her side, the egg resting between his arms. They headed back for the town to drop their new captive and the dragon egg, soaring above the retreating ships. But Krogan had other plans.

"Is he behaving down there, girl?" asked Heather with a smile. She looked back under her dragon's wing only to catch Krogan just in time to see him pulling out a knife. Her heart skipped a beat. "Windshear! Drop!"

The Razorwhip didn't question the command and immediately dropped their captive. They doubled back immediately, diving after the Flyer. But there wasn't enough free-falling time and they watched the Flyer hit the deck of an occupied ship with a sickening thud. They stopped to a hover, waiting to see the outcome. Men came rushing to their unmoving leader and Heather thought he'd been knocked unconscious at the impact or maybe broke his spine. But she was disappointed when he rolled to the side, slowly recovering from the shock.

Heather expressed her frustration, slamming her fist on her saddle's handle. Krogan looked up at her and she could hear him chuckle at her irritation. Dragon Hunters took positions, Dragon Root arrows at the ready.

"Leave him, Heather," called Fishlegs and Heather looked over her shoulder to see him slow to a hover next to Snotlout. "He's not worth it. We have the egg. That's all that matters."

Heather sighed heavily, personal defeat weighing heavily down on her despite their obvious victory. "I guess you're right," she admitted, pulling on the handles to join the other Riders. "I just wished I could give him the same treatment he gave us."

"Krogan doesn't matter now," said Snotlout, gesturing at the dragon egg he held in his arms. "Aren't you gonna thank me for heroically saving that egg? Admit it. I was awesome." He lifted the egg as he spoke, exposing it to danger.

Fishlegs grimaced and swooped right above the Nightmare, snatching the egg from Snotlout's grubby hands.

"Hey! Gimme that!"

"Now it's safe," said Fishlegs, carefully tucking it in his arm as if it was a newborn.

They approached the town and slowed for landing. The site was already being cleaned up by the villagers who'd been unfit for the battle while the few injured soldiers sought medical needs from the town's healer. After all, most of the battle had taken place in the air and at sea. The catapults had made quite a fine job at keeping most of the Dragon Hunters at bay. Dragon Flyers hadn't been able to attack the village either thanks to the King of Dragons' defense mechanism.

Ashes rained down on the island from the burning ships and houses, making it look like a dark filthy rain. The Riders dismounted and Heather quickly noticed the unmistakable form of Toothless. Wingmaidens were tending to him, suggesting the Night Fury had been injured in some way. She approached and was kindly greeted by Atali.

"Hi," said the Wingmaiden leader, looking up from her work. "Was your dragon hurt in the battle?"

Heather shook her head, her Razorwhip approaching from her side. "Oh. No. I was wondering if you'd seen Hiccup or Astrid around."

"I haven't seen either of them," said Atali, looking to her assistant for confirmation. But she shook her head sideways as well. "I've only seen the Nadder but it quickly took off after bringing us the Night Fury."

"Alright, thanks," said Heather, turning back around to find her brother. It wasn't hard to find him given his chief status. He was out and about right now, giving out orders to his men. "Dagur!"

"Sister!" said Dagur, going from deadly serious to all too joyful. "Wasn't this just the best day of your life! Whoo! I'm sure I've had more fun than this before but right now I just can't think of when..! Oh, by the way, have you seen our little brother around recently?"

"He hasn't returned?" She was starting to worry.

"I haven't seen him," he replied, shrugging. "Neither have I seen Astrid, come to think of it."

Heather sighed, turning around to her dragon. "I better head back and check it out. We haven't gotten any sign of Johann either. They could be in trouble."

"I'll come with you," said Dagur but Heather quickly stopped him.

"No, you need to stay here and take care of our men," she said, delivering it more like an order than a suggestion. "You're their leader. They need you right now."

Dagur looked into her eyes and smiled. "Oh, Heather," he said, grabbing her by her shoulders in a rough manner. He looked so proud and she knew why. "What a great chieftess you'll make."

She smiled in return but felt unsure. Dagur gave her a bone-crushing hug and quickly released her. She laughed lightly before climbing onto her saddle and taking off. She knew it was coming and soon. Dagur would pass the reins on to her when he'd leave to be with Mala on Caldera Cay as her King. Dagur had made a choice. He knew the Berserker tribe would be under good care and leadership with her as chieftess. It was coming.

It was only a matter of time.

For _everyone._


	5. Chapter 5

**Shorter chapter today. **

**Ps: I put updates on my profile now if you wanna know what's coming up next. **

**That's all. ****Enjoy!**

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Windshear had an easy time finding where Astrid was after following the Deadly Nadder's scent. They landed at the mouth of a cave Heather recalled exploring once or twice. Not just for the fun of it though. She was on her island. Knowing underground and above was essential for her as heir to the throne. Her knowledge had proven useful before when Savage had been made a prisoner of Dagur. Having explored thoroughly the maze of caves under the island had come into advantage. This one was just another entrance to the maze. It was covered wall to wall in ice. Other than that, the space inside had never shown anything useful.

She entered gingerly, drawing her double ax forward when she heard her dragon growl low.

"What is it, Windshear?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the darkness ahead. But she quickly realized what her Razorwhip was warning her about. She'd recognize that smell anywhere. The smell of blood. Fresh one too. "Stay sharp, girl."

She went in deeper and quickly spotted the deceased body of none other than Johann. A Deadly Nadder spine stuck out from the back. Straight away, she knew Astrid was okay. Johann must've been a fool if he thought he could stand a chance against Fearless Astrid Hofferson.

But when she got to the rink, Astrid looked far from fearless or strong. She looked defeated and exhausted. She sat close to the edge on her knees, her dragon standing next to her. Something was wrong. She still hadn't gotten any sign of Hiccup. She would've thought he'd be here with her, celebrating their victory privately. Seeing Astrid look like she was about to shatter in a thousand pieces was not what she expected to find at all.

She closed the distance between herself and her best friend and placed her hand on her cold shoulder blade.

"What happened?" she asked, leaning forward to see her face. She could tell she'd been shedding tears by the trail the salty water left behind. Her hair was messy and coated with ashes. Astrid didn't reply and Heather looked where her eyes were locked. There was nothing there but a long way down. She didn't understand at first but quickly noticed the deep gashes in the ice and Heather's stomach churned. "Oh no..."

"He's dead, isn't he?" asked Astrid, still looking numb, her eyes blurry.

"We… don't know that," said Heather after hesitating on her choice of words. She wanted to sound hopeful. She didn't want to agree with her because... well how awful would that be? She'd never explored down there so she didn't know how far down it was or what was even at the bottom. She had her ideas but no confirmation. She sighed. "We'll send a search party as soon as possible."

Astrid shut her eyes tight, trying to hold back on her tears. She wiped her arm over her eyes and grabbed Heather's hand, pulling herself to her feet.

"Come on," said Heather, wrapping her arm around her waist for support. "Let's get you back to the village."

…

When they returned to the town, most of the place had been cleaned. Some houses had been destroyed but Vikings didn't put off until tomorrow what they could do today; they were already working on rebuilding.

Astrid and Heather landed and were cheerfully greeted by the rest of the Dragon Riders. Heather figured her brother must've informed them of her mission. But she had only been partly successful.

"Astrid!" called Snotlout. Last thing he'd seen of her she'd flown off on a different task. "Thank Thor you're okay."

"I'm alright," she replied, not making eye contact. The cut on her face obviously stood out and questions followed.

"Did you find Hiccup? Is he okay?" asked Fishlegs intensely, an edge of nervousness to his voice.

"What about Johann?" asked Ruffnut, lifting her chin high to grab her attention. "What happened to the man?

"Johann's dead," said Astrid, sighing. She told herself there was at least that one specific thing. But it wasn't enough. "But Hiccup…"

"We couldn't find him," said Heather, finishing for her. She met the Riders' gazes and sensed the tension grow. Dagur joined the group, curious about the worry that suddenly painted on all the faces. Heather turned to her brother. "Dagur, could gather some men for a search party?"

"Search party?" he echoed, frowning. "For whom?" He quickly scanned the faces and quickly noticed one missing. "Wait. Where's my little brother?"

"We searched the ice cavern on the East side of the island," she informed, gesturing in the right direction.

"The one with the long drop down?" said Dagur, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah… Johann and Krogan were definitely there. And so was Hiccup." Heather met Astrid's gaze but the shieldmaiden quickly let it drop back to her feet. This was not the Astrid she knew. Astrid Hofferson would take charge of any situation, no questions asked. But Heather figured this was a bigger deal than she could handle. For now at least. "We found both Krogan and Johann but not Hiccup. I don't think he even made it out..."

"Hold on a sec," said Dagur, raising his hands and shaking his head to pause the news he was hearing. "Are saying he's-?"

"I don't want to believe it," interrupted Heather softly. "The bottom's the only place we haven't searched. I say we investigate before drawing conclusions."

"I'll gather the men right away," said Dagur, calling out for volunteers immediately.

Astrid crossed her arms even tighter, feeling colder than ever. She felt Fishlegs' hand rest on her shoulder.

"We'll find him, Astrid," said Fishlegs, trying to comfort her.

"I hope you're right, Fishlegs," she sighed, turning to face him. "But in what state?"

The twins and Snotlout shared a troubled look, their concern growing evermore. They didn't know if their leader was dead or alive. Thor, they didn't even know what had happened to judge his chances of survival. They had nothing to base their hopes on. And that was a scary thing to think.

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**REMEMBER! WASH YOUR HANDS, DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE AND RELAAAAAAAXX. STAY SAFE OUT THERE! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Aye aye aye... 2020 is not looking good. But in the meantime, let's keep ourselves distracted.**

**Enjoy chapter 6!**

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The light of the lanterns reflected off the ice walls now turned into mirrors which misshaped the faces and bodies of the fellow Vikings entering the cave. Daylight was wearing out. The bright blue color of the ice was barely noticeable. It might just have been Astrid, but the cavern felt different. It had a gloomy look and the atmosphere felt much heavier than when she'd been alone. She didn't know what it was. The intention? Simply the darkness creeping around in the far corners? Maybe it was just the cold air and the absence of the calming blue light from above. Multiple men had volunteered to help search for her missing leader along with Dagur, Heather and the rest of the Dragon Riders.

The group approached the edge gingerly, being careful not to fall by mistake and misfortune. Dagur leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the hollow stretching its mouth wide as if it was ready to swallow all of them any moment now. He backed away and turned to the party.

"Alright, men," said Dagur, gesturing to the few of his soldiers who'd come out unscathed from the battle. "Get the ropes ready. I'll head down there first; see if it's safe."

"Dagur, you really don't have to," said Heather, approaching her brother from the side and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I do, sister," he said, turning to her. "Hiccup's our brother. We need to be there for each other."

Heather smiled weakly, finding it sort of amusing how he'd made Hiccup _their_ brother now. "Then I'll come with you," she said, her tone and body language leaving no margin for argumentation. "You let us know when you've reached the bottom. Or… if any inconveniences happen. Got it?"

"Loud and clear," said Dagur before turning to his men. The large metal nails had been hammered solidly into the ice floor. Thick ropes for extra safety were laced to them and thrown at both the chief and his sister.

When Dagur was secured he gave the command to his men. He threw a firm nod and began descending, walking the ice wall backward. It was troubling at first. Flying a dragon was something. But walking backward in a weird angle down to the bottom of a cave was different. Especially when you knew there was a good chance of a dead body resting down there. Dagur shook his head and inhaled deeply, steadying his thoughts. When he reopened his eyes, he saw the markings in the ice where he presumed Hiccup had been holding on to before…

Dagur looked back up and saw Astrid's concerned gaze resting on him. She looked defeated, scared and exhausted. He couldn't imagine losing someone he loved so much. He had to find Hiccup alive. He prayed for it. Not for him. But for Astrid.

The faces slowly disappeared as he entered the fog bank. He felt alone all of a sudden. Just him and his sad lantern. It was like everything around him seized to exist but this heavy vapor filling his lungs. He kept going down and down, still unable to see a thing until ice-cold water soaked his foot.

"Hold!" he called out, looking down at his reflection on the smooth jet-black surface of ice beside the gap his foot had gone through. The rope was tensed, holding him where he was.

"You found something?" called out Heather. Her shout sounded so distant but Dagur knew it was probably just because of the density of the fog.

Dagur narrowed his eyes, testing the ice again. It was pretty thin.

"There's water down here!" he called out, holding his lantern further to see more.

"Can you tell how deep it is?" she asked but Dagur shook his head.

"I can't tell. I can't see the bottom," he replied, a hint of regret in the way he shared the news.

Up on the rink, Astrid shut her eyes tight and turned her head from the hollow. She was shaky, trying to hold herself together. The water down there either improved the odds or sent them straight down the hole. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Accepting her betrothed's death now would make it much easier on her later than holding on to hope and be disappointed in the near future. As a warrior, she knew that holding on to what she _wanted_ to believe would not do any good. But as a lover, she felt the responsibility to latch onto hope. Because that's all that remained for her now as far as she was concerned.

Fishlegs paced back and forth after the latest news, mumbling, "This is not good", over and over again. Astrid heard the complaints from Snotlout and the twins, snapping at him to quit his restless behavior. It didn't take very long before the four of them got into a whispered argument.

Astrid and Heather made eye-contact and Heather knew what it meant.

"I'm coming down!" called Heather down to her brother, wrapping the rope around her waist. She grabbed a lantern and nodded to the soldiers, slowly making her way down to join Dagur.

"Astrid," said Fishlegs, turning to their second-in-command. "What if… what if-"

"I know what you're thinking, Fishlegs," said Astrid, sighing. "I know. Things aren't looking good."

"Water in an environment this cold can bring its temperature below freezing point," he stated, but Astrid already knew that. "It makes it hard to stay above the surface if he even was conscious to do so."

"I'm no genius but I don't think this is helping," said Tuffnut, looking at Fishlegs with disappointment painted on his face.

Astrid didn't reply to Fishlegs' facts. Images filled her mind of Hiccup's body resting in the depths, devoid of all life. She didn't know if that was a better vision than the one she'd imagined earlier - the one of a broken, motionless body resting on rock-hard ice.

She brought her hand to her eyes, massaging her heavy eyelids. She had to believe. She had to have hope. She ignored the ongoing theories of her friends and returned her attention to the gloomy fog casually floating midway down the bottom.

Heather finally reached Dagur's side and called out to halt.

"Wow," she said, shining her lantern over the black ice. "This is creepy."

"Well, this would be a good place to throw away the bodies of our enemies," commented Dagur, earning a well-deserved elbow to the ribcage. "I'm kidding!

"We better hurry up," she said, putting her serious mask back on after her brother's inappropriate joke. She narrowed her eyes, scanning her side while Dagur did the same on his. "Wait. I think I see something."

Dagur grasped his rope and pushed himself as far away from the ice wall as possible to see whatever she was seeing. "What is it?" he asked and Heather pointed out to some shiny metal-looking object a little far away. It looked like it was underwater but from what she could tell, it was shallow.

Dagur didn't waste another moment and freed himself from the rope. He broke through the thin layer of ice and sunk into the ice-cold water, gasping in quite an unmanly fashion.

"Never have I thought water could be this cold," he said before gathering his strength and swimming toward the shiny object. He didn't spend much time swimming and reached the shallow, his feet meeting the soft sand.

Heather watched him pick it up and pause, his back to her. The suspense was killing her. "Dagur?" she asked, curiosity overwhelming her as she studied his body language. "What is it?"

He turned around, Hiccup's metal prosthetic in hand. She met his eyes.

"Well, there are shallow waters so there has to be some shore," she said, trying to sound determined. She freed herself from the rope as well and instantly went rigid as the water ate away at her body heat. She gasped a few times before swimming toward her brother, lantern held high.

Dagur had walked out of the water when she reached the shallow. She'd been correct. Sand stretched out the water. Which meant there was hope. If Hiccup had been conscious when he fell in the water, there was a good chance he'd managed to get himself out and crash on the beach.

Heather took a moment to learn how to breathe again and picked up the pace after Dagur. They both stopped in front of an ice wall and Heather lifted her light source, watching the imposing spikes crawl high above their heads. These were not built by nature. They looked like blue flames frozen mid-blast. As much as Heather wanted to know more about this, she had a much more important mission at hand.

She twisted around on her heels, studying her surroundings carefully. The shore seemed to snake around these ice formations. She couldn't see very far ahead because of the fog that came all the way down here, but she could tell there were more ice-blasts like this one as she started following the shoreline. The sand was smooth as if nothing had ever come down here to disturb it. It was a great discovery but what had brought it to be found had nothing wonderful about it.

Dagur followed closely behind her, observing the water on his right in case he found anything else lying around in the shallow waters.

"Wait," said Heather, holding her hand up. "There's a disturbance in the sand up ahead." Her eyes went wide and she instantly broke into a run to reach her find. The lantern rocked back and forth, its movement generating a sharp squeaking until it got dropped in the sand, the flame inside barely lit by the mistreatment.

From the top of the cliff, Astrid paced back and forth, holding her fist up to her lips. The long day, the cold and the constant unease had drained her. Her eyelids felt heavier than ever and she was ready to collapse where she was. But a loud and sudden shout from below shook her out of it.

"We found him!" came Heather's shout and Astrid's heart started beating hard. The Riders smiled at each other, finally relieved of the unending suspense. She smiled too, some of the weight lifted off her shoulders. But most of it remained and her smile died as quickly as it had appeared.

Her stomach churned.

Not because they'd found him that it meant that he was alive. Said report was yet to come.

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**MOUAHAHAHA! **


	7. Chapter 7

"Odin," said Heather. The word simply slipped out between her lips as she laid eyes on the pale features of Hiccup. He was lying on his back, head slightly sunk in the soft sand. She kneeled next on his right while Dagur contoured to the left. They both kneel over the motionless body.

Heather couldn't find the words to describe the horror she was looking at. His skin was so pale, almost blue in color. The tip of every single hair was frosted as well as his eyelashes. His lips had gone purple which Heather knew was never a good sign. She had to admit it to herself. He looked dead. She couldn't see any significant rising and falling of the chest area and when she reached to touch him, his clothes were frozen solid. She herself was beginning to feel the cold get to her core. She couldn't imagine what were to happen if she stayed down here for too long.

She watched as Dagur delicately pressed two fingers against Hiccup's neck, finding the right spot where the veins were most exposed. The action had Hiccup's head tilt to the side, giving Heather a false hope when she saw that his blank expression remained the same.

"Is he alive?" dared ask Heather, holding on tight for both her and Astrid.

She could see his jaws clench. "Barely," he replied, his gaze tracing from his head to his toe. "We need to get him out of here and get him warm fast. He doesn't have much time."

She sensed the emergency in his voice despite the calmness. She got up immediately and turned to the ice wall where they'd come down from. She could see the ropes dangling loosely a short distance away. Heather cupped her mouth. "Guys!" she called out. "Bring down the stretcher!"

"Is he alive?" asked a voice she identified as Snotlout's. Every sound from up there sounded so far away from down here.

"Yes," she replied, hesitant. "But not for long. Hurry!"

The suspense had been killing Astrid. But now was finally time for action. Her fierce self returned in an instant and she turned to her teammates, a stern look on her face.

"What are you waiting for?" she nearly snapped as they stared, frozen to the rink. "Hurry up! Hiccup's time is ticking."

The twins went to work faster than Astrid had ever seen them do and before she could snap to quicken the pace, the stretcher was slowly being brought down the ice wall. Snotlout and Fishlegs were careful to keep the ropes even, ready to feel it hit the surface of the water at any moment now.

Heather and Dagur had returned at the exact spot they'd gotten down from, watching the stretcher slowly descend from the vapory grey ceiling. Their lanterns' warm light bounced off the ice wall before them. The pool was already beginning freeze over again. They'd have to break the ice once more to get out of here.

As soon as it hit the water, Heather dove back in the freezing-cold pool, gasping once again as if it was biting down on her skin with thousand tiny crystals. She grabbed the stretcher firmly and kicked the wall to propel herself faster toward the shore. Dagur, who had Hiccup resting limply in his arms, laid him delicately down and tied the ropes around his form, taking safety measures just in case.

Time was ticking and Dagur called up to get it moving. The stretcher was instantly pulled and Heather guided it back against the ice wall so it would go up gently. She swam in the pitch-black water; keeping contact with the stretcher until it was above her head, slipping from her fingertips. She heard Dagur dive and pop up beside her. He shook his head, splashing her with droplets.

"Whoo!" he shouted, grabbing his rope. "That's what I call a rescue!"

Heather smiled amusingly in response, bringing her emerald-green gaze on the fog above her as they slowly started getting pulled back up, out of this cursed bottom of an ice cavern.

Astrid watched the figure slowly appear out of the bank. At first it was only the contour of the stretcher. But the more Snotlout and Fishlegs pulled, the more she could see. And Astrid's heart sunk and lifted all at once.

_Hiccup._

For a moment, she wondered if Heather and Dagur had made a mistake and he was actually dead. But as they finally pulled him over the edge and on the flat surface of the rink, Astrid could see the occasional puffs of mist escape from his nose. They were not as significant as her large clouds though. She kneeled next to him, tracing her hand on his purple and blue lips and up to his forehead, moving the frozen locks to touch his ice-cold skin. She couldn't tell what was more chilling at this point. But the sight of him was suddenly disturbed when blankets fell over his form, covering every inch of his body, including the face. It made him look like a recently deceased patient but Astrid knew better than to let her thoughts wander off that dark path. Hiccup was found and he was alive. So why did he still feel so lost to her? She backed off when two soldiers grabbed each end of the stretcher and lifted it off the ground to Dagur's orders.

Astrid couldn't find her footing. The other Riders followed the soldiers leading the way while Dagur brought up the rear. The shieldmaiden sighed, her breath coming out a long, blurry steam.

"Hey," said Heather and Astrid felt the weight of a blanket fall on her shoulders. She looked to her side, looking at her best friend's bright expression. "He'll be fine now." Astrid dropped her eyes to the floor, following her lead to pursue the group.

"Thanks, Heather," said Astrid, feeling somewhat awkward. "I don't know what I'd do without your support and optimistic." She finally met her gaze and Heather cracked a smile.

"Don't mention it," she simply replied.

But Astrid meant more than simple gratitude. If it hadn't been for Heather's quick thinking to send a search party or convince her to keep hope, Hiccup might not have been found alive. Just a few more minutes of her trying to comfort her back when she was grieving on the edge of the rink and Hiccup would be gone. Her leadership and actions regarding the matter were the reason Astrid would not spend the rest of her life blaming herself for her lover's death. Heather had been the hero today. And Astrid would never be able to show enough gratitude to her friend for saving the one thing she loved most in the world.

They followed the group from a short distance away. Astrid replayed the scene when she first laid eyes on Hiccup's pale face. He had looked dead. Well, he was on the verge of death. But Astrid trusted he'd be alright now. She knew he was in good hands. And she knew she'd be too.

* * *

**Hiccup's alive! Whooooooo..! Of course, he is. He's the indestructible Princess Outpost. **

**Now, I just wanna know this. What phase in RTTE do you prefer most? Mine's the 'Johann and Krogan being evil while Viggo is turning into a good guy and allying with Hiccup' (if you haven't noticed by now :3 :3).**

**Anyway, stay safe out there! **

**Rain**


	8. Chapter 8

**Of course, there are more chapters..! Enjoy :)**

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The night had been dreadfully long. Everyone was tired after the battle. The Dragon Riders were even more so after waiting all night for news about their leader. Astrid in particular. She'd been pacing all night long in front of the Healer's hut, chewing on her fingernails while holding herself tight. The look on the Berserker Healer's face when they'd removed the brown blankets from Hiccup had not been very reassuring, to say the least. Astrid remembered his skin color under the warm lights of the torches of the town. He'd looked completely different from when she saw him in the ice cavern. He'd been a pale gray. The colors had literally been drained from him like a sunny blue sky getting covered up by an unannounced thunderstorm. His lips and his eyelids had been the only dark features on his face. It had been a scary sight and Astrid didn't know if she would ever be able to erase that horrifying memory.

The sun shone on her face and Astrid blinked at the bright light. She held her hand up at the sun slowly coming up, the warm rays piercing between her fingers. There was something reassuring about it; as if it was chasing away the darkness that had been hugging her all night long. She sighed, taking a seat on the steps carved in the stone floor of the uneven ground of the plaza.

Her teammates walked her way, returning from their first breakfast being served in the Great Hall. They looked much more at ease than before while Astrid felt like everything had worsened. She wished she could relax too, be among her friends, but Hiccup was constantly on her mind and she couldn't take a break from it.

"Hey, A," said Tuffnut, stretching the 'A'. "Did you hear about Heather's promotion to _Chieftess_?"

"Chieftess?" echoed Astrid, rising back to her feet. She never imagined her best friend one day being in charge of a whole tribe. Heather had never been tribe-material, always running away and going rogue. But she could see the leadership skills she had in her. Astrid thought back of the night before and how Heather had made all of the hard decisions.

Heather rolled her eyes, smiling. Astrid could see the discomfort in her position. Astrid felt bad. She should be cheering her best friend. This was, indeed, quite a promotion. But her mind was elsewhere.

"Look, I know it's early but we _got_ to celebrate this," continued Tuffnut, turning to the other Riders who nodded their agreement. "Heather, I would cook those delicious meat thingies of yours but I'm afraid I'm as terrible of a cook as Ruffnut." He earned a frown from his sister but ignored her completely. "So!"

"Guys," interrupted Heather, turning to the Riders who all seemed eager to party at sunrise. "I'm sure there will be a time for the celebration. But right now, I'd be more worried about Hiccup."

The group's energy dimmed like someone pressed down on a lever, bringing them down. But they still nodded their heads in agreement, shifting shamefully. Heather approached Astrid while the other moved along and sat next to her. They didn't share a look or a word for a few seconds.

"Thank you, Heather," said Astrid, breaking the silence. "I… It's not easy."

"I understand," replied Heather. "When Dagur left right after we'd found each other, thinking he'd died a few months before… He'd promised me he'd be back but I could never really have been sure, despite the Berserker handshake."

"But he came back," said Astrid, turning her head to meet Heather's eyes.

"He did." She smiled and Astrid knew it meant she was confident everything would be okay. Astrid wished she could feel the same way.

"Gosh," said Astrid, looking up at the sky, gradually becoming brighter in colors. The sun's warm orange toyed with the clouds, creating all sorts of shades of blue, yellow and pink. "I wish Johann was still alive just so I could kill him all over again."

Heather laughed, looking up too.

The creaking of a door had both of the young warriors turn to the Healer's hut. The old lady stood at the entrance, gesturing for Astrid to come in.

Astrid hesitated, sharing a look with Heather. She'd been waiting all night long to see Hiccup. But now she held back. What if Hiccup's worse than he already was?

"Hey," said Heather, placing a hand on her shoulder, dragging her out of her tornado of worries. She didn't speak and simply gestured with a movement of her head to go. Astrid swallowed and got to her feet, entering the small building. The Healer closed the door behind her, plunging her back into darkness.

The shorter woman walked passed her after leading her to Hiccup's bed. He'd been separated from the other patients and brought much closer to the fire pit. The bright flames lit up the room, shining off the right side of Hiccup's face while the other was forgotten in the shadows. His face was all she could see since he was covered from his toes up to his shoulder with heavy blankets. She couldn't tell how many layers rested upon him. She noticed his clothing hanging on a line to dry at the warmth of the flames.

Astrid edged closer, moving gingerly as if her movements might disturb his recovery. And as if she'd been right to suspect so, Hiccup winced, the painful look on his features making Astrid's heart tighten. At least he already looked more alive than a few hours ago. Astrid didn't sit. She stood next to him, brushing his hair out of his forehead.

"Did he wake up yet?" asked Astrid, turning to the Healer who approached, her walking stick in hand.

"He's been sleeping on and off for a few hours now," informed the Healer, joining her at the side of the bed. "He's trying. But his body isn't warm enough yet. It'll take a few more hours before he can open his eyes for even a few minutes. I just thought you might want to know."

Astrid turned to the Healer, not quite knowing how to react. "Thank you," she said, nodding her head at the woman. The Healer smiled in return.

"I understand your concern, dear," she said, placing both hands on the top of her walking stick. "It's never easy to stay still awaiting someone you love to confirm by themself that they're very much alive."

Astrid looked down, wondering if she'd been a pain to the woman for awaiting answers all night in front of her hut like an annoying Terrible Terror begging for more fish.

"You'll be the first person to know if he wakes up," added the Healer, leaning forward to the shieldmaiden. "You have my word. Now get some rest. You deserve it."

Astrid nodded respectfully at the woman as if she was bowing to Queen Mala herself. She trusted the Healer with Hiccup more than she'd ever trust anybody with this job. But like she said, Astrid would never truly be at rest until Hiccup himself told her he was okay. It was indeed hard to wait. But at this point, there was nothing she could do more than give it time.

She looked one last time over her shoulder at Hiccup before exiting the hut and closing the door.

* * *

**My my. I might not go back to school at all. Our province's Premier warned us, students, to be ready because there's a chance everything might stay closed until fall :0 :0 **


	9. Chapter 9

**IT'S SPRING BABY! Although nothing has changed, really... disappointing. THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR KIND COMMENTS! **

**Now enjoy!**

* * *

The second night was worst than the first. Astrid lied still in the bed of her assigned hut, staring up blankly at the ceiling. It was dead quiet. Back on Dragon's Edge, there would always be some sound disturbing the silence of the night. An owl, crickets or a dragon roaring in the distance. But she couldn't even hear the waves hit the foundations of the island.

She frowned, following the little speckles of dust peacefully floating in a downward trajectory. The dim light of the moon outside pierced through the cracks in the walls, creating a dark bluish light inside. The atmosphere should be comforting, but Astrid felt disconnected from the world. Her mind was constantly traveling to a faraway land of worries.

She'd tried getting some sleep. Her body was exhausted. Her limbs were heavier than ever but her mind was too busy to let her get a full night's rest. Stormfly squawked at her side, sensing her restlessness.

"I'm okay, girl," she said, patting her dragon's head as she edged closer to her rider. The Nadder growled low in reply. Astrid couldn't take it anymore. She threw the blanket off and walked to the door. She caught a glimpse of the full moon between two wooden planks and turned to her dragon. "Looks like a perfect night for a moonlit flight, doesn't it girl?"

Stormfly shook her head in excitement making her crown rattle. She was ready to stretch her wings and soar through the cool air of the night.

But as Astrid opened the door, she was surprised by the town's Healer standing at the doorstep, looking like she'd been about to knock.

"Oh, hello, dear," said the Healer, retrieving her hand to her wooden walking stick. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt."

"Is it Hiccup?" asked Astrid, but she immediately regretted questioning so. Of course it was Hiccup. What else did she expect?

"Come with me," she simply replied, turning back around, leading her back to her hut.

Astrid jogged after Healer after apologizing to her dragon and telling her to stay put. She walked by her side, approaching the building. Coughs and low chattering came from the Healer's hut.

"Is he awake?" asked Astrid, hoping for yes as an answer.

"He is," said the woman but there was something off about her responses. Astrid frowned, starting to worry. The Healer wasn't very talkative and Astrid didn't blame it on nighttime. Astrid didn't want any surprises. May they be good or bad.

They entered the hut and reached the fire pit separated by a drape. Astrid heard a groan which she instantly recognized as Hiccup's. There was something about the woman's behavior and the lack of conversation that made Astrid feel uneasy. What if she'd been right to worry?

Astrid didn't wait for the Healer's approval to approach. She kneeled next to the bed, feeling Hiccup's sweaty forehead. He was soaked. His hair, which had been bone-dry the morning before, was dripping from the tips. There was no doubt he had a fever. Astrid turned to the Healer who had disappeared to her workplace but quickly returned with a bowl in hand.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Astrid, keeping her tone low in order not to disturb the other patients. He looked in pain. He was wincing and gritting his teeth. Astrid had learned her basics about medical facts before the peace with the dragons. The illness would only emerge when battle wounds got infected. It was truly uncomfortable. Even worse than the wounds themselves. Soreness, headaches, chills, hot and cold… it was all so confusing.

A bucket lied next to the bed and Astrid grabbed the towel. She pressed it against his forehead, brushing the bangs away. She hated the way she felt. She almost wished she was in his place so he could be alright. At least she knew she'd get through it. For Hiccup, it was different.

She worked on trying to cool him down while the Healer worked around on medicine and checked on other patients. It took some time but Hiccup's pained expression slowly eased. He already looked better. His eyes were barely opened and Astrid guessed he was gradually falling back to sleep. But as she soaked the towel once again, twisted it and came to press it back, she felt a hand close on her forearm, almost making her jump.

"Astrid?" he asked and Astrid felt the smile stretch on her lips. She dropped the soaked cloth and pressed her hand over his.

"Yeah. It's me," she said, brushing his face gently with the back of her hand. She watched his eyes flash wide at her touch and immediately noticed something was terribly wrong. He didn't look at her. He seemed to be staring at nothing at all. Astrid's heart dropped, trying to understand what was happening. It was an odd behavior she recognized all too well. He was searching for her, trying to find her like he was stuck in a pitch-black room.

The Healer walked back in casually and Astrid turned to her urgently.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked, trying to keep herself under control.

The Healer frowned confusingly and walked over, noticing her patient wasn't acting alright. She hummed to herself and waved a hand before his face as if she was trying to grab his attention. But Hiccup gave to reaction, continuingly staring ahead.

"Oh yes," she said as if it'd been obvious the whole time. "Hypothermia can do that sometimes. Dry eye syndrome. It's a side effect."

"For how long?" asked Astrid, turning back to look at Hiccup.

"I can't say the time exactly," replied the Healer, moving around, mixing ingredients together in a small stone bowl. "Sight usually returns after the victim warms back up completely. He still has a few days of recovery ahead of him. He will be okay. Just give him time."

"So I'm told," said Astrid, grabbing Hiccup's hand.

The woman hummed again, nodding. "I'll give you two a moment," she said, smashing whatever she threw in that bowl and disappearing behind the curtain.

Astrid turned back to Hiccup, trying to see if she could get his eyes to lock with hers. But she knew that even if she managed to do so, she'd still see the emptiness in them and that would do no good.

"Astrid?" he asked again, turning his head her way. "Are you still there?"

"Of course," she said, leaning forward, pushing away his bangs that always seemed to fall back over his eyes. She touched his face delicately as if she was scared to cause even more damage.

"What happened to me?" asked Hiccup. At least this hearing was intact.

"You fell," replied Astrid after pausing for a moment. She replayed the images of when she'd first seen the scars in the ice, realizing what had happened. She tried to imagine how it'd been like to fall into the void she'd been staring down at while wondering if he was even alive.

"From what?" he asked and Astrid stared at him in confusion. She could see he was trying to think. But the question concerned her.

"Y-you don't remember?" she asked, trying to keep it together. She noticed her breathing quicken.

"No…" he answered, almost shamefully. His blank gaze dropped down.

Astrid didn't know what to say. This was supposed to be a simple case of hypothermia. The Healer said the slight loss was a common side effect but now it seemed there were some complications. How could he not remember? Astrid decided to blame it on the fact that he'd been unconscious and that'd he'd only just woken up. So, okay, Hiccup was blind. Temporarily from what the Healer was telling her. No problem there. Just let him rest and everything will return to normal in a few days. But Astrid couldn't help but suspect there was something more. Something they were currently too blind to see.


	10. Chapter 10

Astrid was troubled. She'd been trying to make sense as to why Hiccup didn't remember the incident. But nothing seemed to jump to her attention yet. Surely almost freezing to death couldn't so easily erase memory, could it? Her storm of thoughts was brutally brought to a stop when the Healer came back.

"Hello, young man," greeted the old woman, approaching her patient. Astrid sat still on the edge of the bed, holding Hiccup's hand gently to let him know she was still there.

"Hi," replied Hiccup, a hint of sadness in his tone. He kept staring ahead but not wide-eyed. His eyes were opened in a natural way. Astrid recalled when she'd gone blind from the lightning strike. She'd been desperate to see something, opening her eyes as wide as she could to catch even a glimpse of light. But all she'd been greeted by had been blackness and she guessed that's what Hiccup was seeing as well. It was a scary experience.

"Do you think you're ready to answer a few questions for me?" asked the Healer in such a gentle and calm way. There was no doubt she'd done this hundreds upon hundreds of times in the past. It was comforting, even for Astrid. "Just for me to clarify on your state."

Hiccup was quiet. He nodded. He was still tightly tucked under the covers, his head raised by pillows so he was almost sitting.

"Do you remember your name?" asked the Healer and Hiccup swallowed thickly. He seemed nervous, almost as if he thought he was captive of the enemy and under interrogation for information.

"Hiccup Haddock," he said, still staring straight ahead.

"Well that was quite easy," continued the woman, sharing a smile with Astrid. "Do you know where you are?"

"Not specifically," replied Hiccup, frowning. Astrid straightened up a little, staring at the Healer who simply waved a hand at her to stop being so concerned with every answer her patient would give them.

"No problem." The Healer tapped on her walking stick, turning to Astrid. "Now who's this beautiful young lady who's holding your hand?"

Hiccup smiled and blinked multiple times as if chasing away the emotions. It was understandable to be scared in his state. Astrid didn't blame him in the least. Not remembering what had happened all while being blind? Yeah, it was fair to feel emotional.

"It's Astrid Hofferson. My girl—I mean, my betrothed," he said and Astrid tightened her grip on his hand, letting him know she was there for support and always will be.

"Betrothed?" echoed the woman, a smile in her eyes. "Well, congratulations. Now, do you know _why_ you're here?"

Silence settled in the room, the light mood suddenly vanishing like fog in the morning. Hiccup swallowed again, moving his eyes from left to right.

"Astrid said I fell. But I…" he started, but couldn't finish as pain struck, unannounced. He reached a hand to his forehead, wincing. It was like a hammer had just pounded on his head, interrupting his thought process.

"That's alright," reassured the Healer, settling the covers back up to keep him warm. "Get some more rest. We'll talk later."

The Healer placed her old, wrinkled hand on Astrid's arm, indicating this was not the time to ask any more questions. Hiccup had to rest. Astrid understood and nodded, watching the woman disappear back in her workplace. _Time_. It was always about time. Time fixed everything after all. At least, that's what they say.

"Astrid?" came Heather's voice but Astrid didn't turn around to answer, too wrapped up in her hurricane of worries to think about replying. There was a pause and Astrid felt a hand settle on her shoulder blade.

"I think you should get some rest too," said Heather, keeping her voice down. But Astrid immediately shook her head, denying the idea. She couldn't rest. She'd tried. It'd been no use.

"No. No, I don't need that," she said, avoiding eye-contact with her. She just looked down and back up at Hiccup who was slowly drifting back to sleep. It was almost as if he didn't even realize what was happening around him. Like he was in another world, far away from this one. And who knew, maybe he was.

"Yes. You do," insisted Heather, coming in front of her so she would look at her. "I'll stay here with Hiccup. I'll come get you if there's any change."

"I'll be alright, Heather," said Astrid, still denying the option to leave Hiccup's side. There was a hint of a threat to her tone that warned Heather not to push her to do what she didn't want to. But Heather was equally headstrong and refused to back down either.

Heather shifted her weight, sighing at Astrid's stubbornness. She leaned closer, eyed Hiccup's neutral expression and lowered her voice even more. "Astrid, you're no good to him if you're gonna fall apart from exhaustion."

Astrid tightened her lips, looking away. She didn't want to leave him now. Not after this update. He couldn't even recall what had happened to him or where he was, to begin with. Who knew if he even remembered the battle? How far back could he have forgotten? And what if his memory never comes back?

"Astrid…" tried Heather once more, shaking her shoulder.

Astrid finally looked up at Heather, meeting her troubled yet severe gaze. "Alright," she said, getting up with much effort. She didn't say anything else and walked out, trusting Heather would watch over him as fiercely as she would.

…

Heather was right. She _was_ tired. She was exhausted, even. She hadn't even realized it until she walked up to the Great Hall and felt the urge to turn around and collapse in the comfy bed of her hut. But she also hadn't eaten since… what? Yesterday? Her worries for Hiccup had fed her plenty to cut off her appetite. But now her stomach roared like a furious Monstrous Nightmare and Astrid walked past the grand doors of the Hall.

She instantly spotted the Riders gathered at a table, acting no less like children. She still couldn't believe how childlike the twins and Snotlout could become without the presence of a chief of some sort. The large room was barely full to add to it, giving no reason for her teammate to behave. Even Fishlegs was playing part in their boring jokes and food-fights. She'd usually snap at them to conduct themselves, but not this time. This time, the sight made her smile.

"Hey, Astrid," greeted Snotlout, shoving a yak chop in her direction. The big grin on his face would irritate her under other circumstances. But right now, the light mood was just what she needed. His expression turned to one of slight concern when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. "You holding up alright?"

"I'm fine," she simply replied, allowing her shoulders to drop. She took a seat and the twins continued to fight over food, violently banging their helmets until either one gave up the piece of meat.

"How's he doing?" asked Fishlegs, turning to her. She wasn't surprised by Fishlegs' genuine concern for their leader. He'd always been the most caring after all. Or at least, the one who let it be obvious the most.

"He's, um… he's conscious," she said after swallowing thickly. She toyed with her food absently, the hunger suddenly vanishing as her thoughts drifted back to Hiccup.

"Great!" shouted Tuffnut, clapping his hands loudly. Letting go of the yak chop resulted in Ruffnut falling over her bench and meeting the hard stone floor with a loud thud. "That's great news, right?"

"No… no, it's not. He's…" started Astrid, the emotions overwhelming her once again. She tried to keep it steady, shutting her eyes tight. Her hands started shaking but she couldn't tell whether it was from the lack of nutrition or the thought that was scaring her. "He's blind."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut quit playing for the first time since she walked in, staring at her with confusion painted all over their faces. Fishlegs and Snotlout exchanged a glance. Snotlout was the first to speak.

"It'll come back, you'll see," he said, but his tone wasn't reassuring at all. "It always comes back. Remember when you went blind?"

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Fishlegs, tilting his head.

"We can't do anything," said Astrid, sighing. "Except, pray to the gods…"

"Well, I, for one, am ready to clean whatever you ask if it helps save our fearless leader," said Tuffnut, looking very unsure despite his words.

"Yep," chirped in Ruffnut. "You name it."

"If you need anything, we'll be right here," said Fishlegs, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Astrid smiled at him, grateful for the support even if she knew it would not change anything about Hiccup's state or the way she felt about herself being so useless to the situation.

She left the Great Hall with only a few bites of a yak chop and entered her hut under the full moon. Stormfly was there to greet her with a sharp squawk. She'd been up for a good majority of the night and Astrid could sense the early light of dawn slowly creeping on the island. She would've stayed up to watch the sunrise again – to feel the warm rays kiss her face and embrace her with the tenderness she was missing. But the moment she crashed in bed, she almost immediately passed out. Not even the pink rays penetrating through the cracks of the walls could wake her up from the peaceful slumber she greeted with open arms for the first time in days.

* * *

**Yay! Honestly, I can't imagine being up for days. I usually need to nap in the afternoon like every day. **

**Storytime: The other night, I think it was last Friday, so a week ago, I was really starting to worry about the COVID-19. Not about the virus itself but more about the people. Like, how the society might react as the virus continues to spread. And what scares me most is the people who'll overreact and will not care if they have to hurt people to get provisions. 'Cause I know it's already happening. People who get in fights at the store because they're panicking. So that was my biggest concern. And I was having trouble falling asleep, my mind was buzzing with scenarios. So I turned on a sleep cast to relax and it was working, about 10 minutes later, I wasn't thinking about it so much. But the app needed internet connexion and I'd forgotten to turn on "Do Not Disturb". :) Soooooo... I get a _D_**_**ING!**_** from Messenger and I'm thinking who the hell is texting me right now? I look at my screen and my friend texted me "This is the end". I'm like, "Thanks, friend! You just ruined my whole progress and now we need to talk about this for the next 2 hours." So yeah. I napped the next day.**

**See yah tomorrow!**

**\- Rain**


	11. Chapter 11

Birds chirped happily. The sun was out and the skies were clear. It was a good day. When Astrid stepped out of her hut, stretching her arms to their full length while the harsh midday sun hit her face, she couldn't help feeling optimistic. Heather had been right to push her. She felt much better with a clear mind. Hiccup was still an obvious concern but not to be by his side every second of every day till the end of his recovery. She trusted the Healer and she trusted Heather. It was good to know he was in good hands. She felt more at ease. It made her realize how on edge she'd been and Astrid could see now that she hadn't played her role correctly at all facing the dramatic situation. Even though she should've been the one in charge while their leader was ill, she hadn't acted like it at all. She hadn't been the reassuring one in the least. She could see now that she'd overreacted. Her friends had taken on well the matter, better than she had, even though at first, in her opinion, they should've shown more worry. But they'd been keeping themselves busy by helping the Berserkers. She knew they weren't ignoring the importance of the matter.

Now, what was it the old Healer had said? Hiccup's blindness was only a side effect from the hypothermia and that it would return once his body was completely warmed up again. Astrid wondered if Hiccup had completely recovered from his cold swim yet. She'd surely be delighted to hear the good news. Well, there was only one way to find out. She walked to the Healer's hut, waving at the few villagers she crossed path with. When she reached the building, she felt so hopeful, the feeling was barely containable. But when she walked in and pulled the curtain to where Hiccup should be she found the small room had been completely emptied but for the Healer's medicine and tools.

The old woman walked out of the backroom and Astrid jumped in front of her, completely distraught.

"Where is he?" she asked, clearly taking the Healer by surprise with her hysterical behavior.

She watched the lady touch her forehead as if remembering and realizing her mistake. "Oh, he's been moved to a hut," she informed, gesturing over her shoulder with a slow movement of her head. "I'm so sorry, dear. Someone should've told you."

Astrid sighed, releasing the panic that had struck her from the moment she'd walked in. She shut her eyes for a moment, telling herself to stop being so overprotective and worried all the time. Nothing could hurt Hiccup anymore. He was safe. He just needed time.

"It's okay," she said, meeting the Healer's gentle gaze.

"Come with me," said the woman with a smile, gesturing to follow.

…

Astrid gently swung the door open of the hut the old Healer had indicated Hiccup had been assigned to. It was probably another spare hut assigned to visitors like her. The bright daylight poured inside like water spilled on dry rock, lighting up the inside like a torch on a starless night.

Heather was sitting by the bed, legs and arms crossed as she stared into the glowing embers of the fire pit. She turned her head as Astrid closed the door shut, greeting her by standing up.

"Hey," she said quietly while Astrid's attention went straight to Hiccup. "I'm sorry I didn't wake up sooner. Figured you needed some more shut-eye."

"It's okay. How is he?" asked Astrid, feeling way more composed than yesterday. She figured if it hadn't been for sleep, she would've jumped on Heather like a wildcat for not informing her Hiccup had been moved.

Heather sighed. "Mostly sleeping on and off," she said, turning to look at Hiccup's peaceful expression. He was lying on his back, two pillows high for support and covered up to the shoulders with two layers of blankets.

"Any updates?" asked Astrid, turning to meet Heather's eyes. Something about her wasn't giving off the same energy as previously. She seemed troubled. More troubled than she was.

"Not really," she answered, looking back at Hiccup. "The Healer told me about his condition. But apart for the fever having gone away, not much."

Astrid sighed, letting her eyes drop to the floorboards. She'd hoped for better news than this.

Heather patted her shoulder and looked back at the door. "I'll give you guys some time alone," said Heather, walking passed her. Light spilled in the room for a few seconds and then it was dark again. The orange embers of the fire pit were the only source of light, giving off a warm and welcoming atmosphere to the place. She grabbed a log from the pile resting next to the pit and threw one it, brightening up the room as the flames licked the wood gracefully.

She finally sat and stared at Hiccup. 'No updates' had said Heather. That made nothing better. That meant his vision hadn't improved. Astrid feared it might not return. When she'd lost her sight, she'd felt so frightened. But something about Hiccup having to suffer the same experience made it even scarier to her.

She found his hand under the covers and placed her hand on top. But the intrusion had Hiccup jerk awake like she'd woke him up from a nightmare. She watched him search the room only for his eyes to find nothing.

"Heather?" he called out, louder than necessary.

"It's me," answered Astrid, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Healer had given him back his dried clothes. The red tunic was loose on his shoulders, exposing a lot of his collar. It made him look frail and vulnerable. Astrid missed seeing him in his armor, ready to take on the world.

Hiccup relaxed again, lying back down against the pillows. He winced and pressed his hand against his forehead. His head was throbbing and Hiccup swallowed hard, praying for the pain to go away. It was always there. Sometimes it was barely noticeable, but it was there.

"Astrid?" he asked, almost like he'd feared she'd gone already. But her soft reply let him know that he was not alone.

"Yeah?" she said soothingly and he could feel her eyes on him, staring into his empty ones.

"Could you tell me what happened?" he asked, turning to her despite not being able to see her. He felt lost. He couldn't even recall how it had come to this. He wanted answers, to put the pieces together and figure out the mystery of how he'd ended up like this. He hated not knowing. It was killing him more than the pain in his head.

Astrid hesitated for a moment but proceeded anyway. "You remember going after Johann and Krogan inside the ice cavern?" she asked, hoping for yes as an answer.

"No," he replied and Astrid paused, tightening her lips. His memory loss went a bit too far back to her liking. She would've understood the confusion as to how he'd lost consciousness in the first place. But this?

"You had to stop them," she continued, putting her feelings about this to the side for the moment. She needed to help him and she wouldn't be able to do so if she constantly kept worrying about what this could mean. She needed to stay in control to understand what was happening.

"I don't remember," he said, letting his eyes drop like he was upset.

"It's okay," said Astrid, reaching her hand to touch his arm. "What _do_ you remember?"

She watched him blink multiple times, narrowing his eyes as if he was trying to see through a thick fog bank.

"I think… there was an egg," he said, turning away from her but maintaining his gaze downwards. His expression lit up just slightly. "It was a dragon egg."

"Yeah," said Astrid, a smile stretching on her face for just a few seconds. "You had to protect the King of Dragons' egg. Johann and Krogan were after it. You went in with Toothless."

At the mention of the dragon's name, a low growl emerged from the corner of the room and Astrid twisted around, startled. She spotted the bright toxic-green eyes flashing from the shadows. She hadn't even noticed the Night Fury laying there when she first walked in. She shouldn't be that surprised though. Toothless would always be watching over his rider.

Hiccup stared blankly ahead. He was trying hard to remember more.

"Heather and Dagur found you at the bottom of the cave," continued Astrid, toying with her hands uncomfortably. She didn't like telling him the unfortunate events that had happened to him. Not when it was all news for him. "The Healer said you were in hypothermia. We got you out of there just in time."

Memories flashed before Hiccup's eyes. He remembered something. He blinked, frowning. He was falling. He was looking up to see Johann, smiling down at him. He remembered feeling defeated, beaten, lost... Then everything went black.

"Johann," said Hiccup and Astrid raised her gaze from the floor. "He did this to me." He felt a heatwave wash over him like a tide on the shore. He felt heavy and... sad. This shouldn't have happened. It hadn't been part of the plan. He'd lost the fight...

"You won't have to worry about Johann anymore," she said fiercely. Yes, Johann had done this to him. But even though he was gone, Astrid knew that Johann's death would never pay up for all of the pain and damage he'd caused.

Never.

* * *

**welp. No school until May. Guess we'll be spending much more time together :))**


	12. Chapter 12

It had been three days total and Hiccup's vision still hadn't improved. Astrid didn't want to be an alarmist but she was pretty sure there was something they were missing. The old Berserker Healer had clearly said that he'd get his full sight back once completely warmed up. Hiccup had already started feeling more energized - which obviously was a good sign – but Astrid couldn't help feeling like hypothermia wasn't the only cause of his illness.

Astrid brushed off the sweat from her forehead, looking over the town from the roof of the house she'd been fixing all morning with her teammates' help. Fishlegs was handing her wooden planks from the ground to fix the huge hole. The Dragon Hunters hadn't been particularly merciful with the Vikings' houses. She could see the buildings hadn't been repaired over and over again compared to the ones back on Berk. To Astrid and the Riders, this was pretty common damage. From both the dragon attacks and Alvin the Treacherous ever since they were kids. Astrid remembered this being her least favorite task when she'd been training to fight against the dragon raids. But now, she kind of enjoyed the throwback.

"What do you mean he doesn't _remember_?" asked Snotlout, standing by Fishlegs' side, arms crossed and doing nothing at all but move his mouth. She'd told them everything about Hiccup's state and about his memory loss. It was bad enough that he couldn't see but he also had no idea how it came to this. Well, a little bit. He knew Johann had been involved, but that was pretty much it. "I would surely remember if something that traumatic happened to me. Thor, I've been struck by lightning more times than Hookfang has been a pain in my rear and I remember every bit of it."

"This is different, Snotlout," said Astrid, giving him a poker-face over her shoulder. She turned around and continued banging on a nail.

"Yeah," agreed Fishlegs, looking his way. "Lightning has nothing to do with this."

"Well, for your information, _Fishface,_" said Snotlout, grimacing mockingly. "Lightning sets fire. Fire roasts. You should know that. You know, from your _books_? My brain is probably fried in there and I'm still here."

Astrid wished the bangs of her hammer on the nails could be louder so she wouldn't have to listen to Snotlout's annoying voice trying to make a point. Fishlegs jumped to debate and it didn't take long for the two of them to start talking about Snotlout's small brain. Yet, something about what Snotlout had said sparked a theory and Astrid paused her task. The two Riders' voices seemed to fade out. Her mind was like a tornado, finally picking up the missing piece of the puzzle. All noises returned and Astrid straightened up like a Nadder picking up a scent. She slid down the ladder in a hurry, shoving the hammer over to Snotlout.

"Where are you going?" called out Snotlout but Astrid ignored him. She quickly found Heather giving instructions to one of her men and turned her way when Astrid approached.

"Heather," said Astrid, coming to a stop in front of her. She felt the need to hurry but Astrid knew there was no point in doing anything quickly. The damage had been done. She just needed to figure out the real cause of said damage. "Do you have any other information about when you found Hiccup at the bottom of the cave?"

"What do you mean?" asked Heather, confusion painting her face.

"You said he was soaked when you found him on the beach, correct?"

"Well, yeah," said Heather, taking a moment to recall the details of when they'd descended and found the missing Dragon Rider. "He was completely frozen by the time we got there."

"So obviously he fell in the water," confirmed Astrid, reaching a fist to her chin to think.

"Right?" Heather didn't understand. Those facts had been made pretty clear ever since they got Hiccup out of there. She didn't get where Astrid was trying to go with this. None of it all was news. She already knew that.

"Anything else? Anything he could've hit his head on when he fell?" she continued, knowing she was probably putting some pressure on Heather. But she had to get to the bottom of this.

She watched Heather think, trying to remember if there'd been anything else at the bottom of that treacherous cavern. Anything at all – even a detail – which she might, unfortunately, have forgotten to mention to their Healer.

"Well, there was a thin layer of ice on the surface of the pool when we got there…" said Heather, staring down at the ground thoughtfully. She spoke slower toward the end of her sentence and Astrid's eyes widened a little. "There was ice..." Heather raised her head to meet Astrid's gaze, realizing what they'd been missing. "Wait—"

"So he didn't just fall straight in the water. He hit the ice first," said Astrid, echoing Heather's exact conclusion. "That would explain the constant headaches and memory loss."

"Brain damage?" proposed Heather, joining her friend's side as Astrid started for the Healer's hut.

"Possibly," said Astrid, focused on the building ahead.

"That clarifies the sight loss," said Heather. She was no healer but Heather knew her basic medical facts. Living on her own for years, she'd had to fend for herself and learned a lot about injuries. "If the cold had been responsible for it, then Hiccup should've recovered his vision by the first moon."

"And we're way past that," said Astrid, meeting her friend's stern expression. She knew they shared the same fierce, protective energy.

"We need to speak with the Healer," said Heather. "Now."

…

The edges of his vision were dark and he was barely focusing on the scene in front of him. Everything was blurry. It was cold. Hiccup was hardly holding on to the side of the cliff. He heard laughter from above him and he looked up to see Johann's triumphant smile. He knew he was dreaming, but to Hiccup, all of it felt real. It was because he'd lived this before. Despite knowing so, he felt like it was the first time. The sound of ice cracking sent chills down his spine and had his stomach churn. He was imagining what would happen if he did fall. He didn't want to think about it. He looked down fearfully; staring at the fog like it was ready to swallow him whole. And then, as if his imagination had been magically made into reality, he fell. He fell and there was nothing he could do to stop from falling. Down down down… until there was nothing left but darkness.

Hiccup jerked awake, breathing heavily. He felt hot. The hut was starting to feel like a furnace with the fire pit going on all day and all night long. He opened his eyes as wide as he could, trying to catch a glimpse of something. But he was still stuck in the dark… as if the light had completely forgotten about him.

He heard a low growl coming from the foot of the bed. Toothless was always by his side, day and night. He'd refused to leave his rider under any circumstances. Hiccup felt the cold scales of his dragon's nose hit his face. He gave his dragon a few reassuring pats, sighing.

"I'm okay, bud," he said but the dragon wasn't buying it.

Hiccup sighed, still feeling alone despite his best friend's presence.

He heard the door screech open and Hiccup pictured the bright daylight lighting up the inside. The familiar sound of the walking stick hitting the wooden floor let Hiccup know of the Healer's arrival.

Astrid and Heather were hot on her heels, ready to help with anything after telling the woman of their brain damage theory. The old Healer had agreed to the possibility and even went as to say that it actually filled in some blanks. It hadn't taken long for the Healer to take action.

Hiccup turned his head their way, the unfocused eyes resting on their forms as they approached. Toothless returned to his spot, allowing some room for the women to do whatever they had to do.

"Astrid?" called out Hiccup, just to confirm her presence in the room.

"I'm here," she said, reaching one side while Heather took charge of the other.

Without filling him in on what was going on, the old Healer tilted his head forward to examine the back of his skull. Hiccup felt her hand through his hair as she searched through touch. Hiccup remained unmoving, wondering what the problem could be until a sudden pressure on the back of his head had him go highly dizzy in a heartbeat. The discomfort didn't vanish straight away and Hiccup laid back against the pillows, feeling horrible.

"Mmh," said the Healer to which Astrid and Heather exchanged a look. There were a few more moments of silence until the Healer retrieved her hand on top of her stick. "Well, it's swollen, that's for sure."

"Is that bad?" asked Heather, worrying for yes as an answer.

"It's quite common, actually. Especially after a concussion," said the Healer, her mood much lighter than the two warriors. The old woman sighed. "There's nothing much I can do. What he needs is a lot of rest as he's been getting. No physical exertion for now. No thinking either, young man. Your body needs all its energy to heal and repair."

Hiccup didn't react. He simply let his gaze drop lower as if he'd been caught red-handed.

"What about his sight?" asked Astrid, meeting the Healer's tranquil expression. "Will he get it back?" Astrid feared the Healer to look at her pitifully, announcing her that the injury could possibly leave him forever blind.

The Healer simply sighed thoughtfully once again, looking at Hiccup. "If his sight doesn't return to normal in three to four days… Well, there could be lasting damage."

"Isn't there something we can do that could increase his chance of recovery?" asked Heather, looking at Astrid who hadn't been so at ease with the Healer's response.

"Well..." said the Healer, examining the hut before returning her attention to the girls. "He doesn't really know where he is. It's a strange environment for him. I suggest taking him back home. A place he's familiar with."

Heather looked at Astrid, leaving the decision in her hands. Astrid stared at the dusty floorboards for a few seconds before raising her head once more. The Healer was right. Hiccup didn't know where he was. He couldn't see, making it all probably very stressful for him as well. If there was any chance to help him get through this, they had to try everything they could.

"We'll take him back to Berk," she said, her tone leaving to space for argumentation. "It shouldn't be a long flight anyway. We'll take every precaution we can to make sure he gets home safely."

Heather nodded her agreement, straightening up and ready to assist her friend with whatever she needed. "I'll help you."

* * *

**Ahoy there.**

**I just want you all to know that I'm no miracle-worker. I'm no doctor so whether this is right or wrong, I'll never know. I do my basic research for it to be as accurate as I can make it but it's the best I can do. **

**As for the Healer, I know she doesn't really have a physical description like at all except for the fact that she's an old woman with a stick. I'm realizing this as I'm correcting along, so, my bad.**

**And one last thing... um, *clears throat* DID THEY TAKE DOWN THE DRAGONS INTERACTIVE GOOGLE MAP?! I NEED IT! So, yeah, that's a bummer. I used to use it to estimate the time of travel between islands and know where they're located so I can, you know, write something like, "The Dragon Hunters will be attacking from the North since their island is located due north from Dragon's Edge." But now if I forget, I can't know! 'CAUSE THEY TOOK IT DOWN! So now I'm mad. MMH. **

**But I hope you enjoyed the chapter..!**

**-Rain**


	13. Chapter 13

It was weird flying blinded. It was nothing like when he and Toothless would fly through thick cotton white clouds or on a starless night. It was more like the times when he'd go twirling through the air and free fall, eyes closed. It was the feeling of not quite knowing if you were right side up or upside down. The feeling of disconnecting with the visual world for a moment – to feel your mount's muscles underneath the saddle and every movement of the body as if falls and bounces back up.

Hiccup didn't know if he liked it or not. It wasn't a choice after all. But it's not like he had one anyway. The Healer had suggested covering his eyes with a cloth to protect him against the harsh rays of sunlight. Even if he couldn't see, apparently it was best that his eyes remain in darkness to allow rest. All of it was strange but Hiccup didn't care to understand it right now. After all, she'd also instructed not to think too much.

Astrid was leading the way on Stormfly while Heather and Fishlegs flanked each side of the Night Fury should Hiccup start feeling dizzy from the movements and fall. Toothless did his part as well, flying as still as a Night Fury could. He only occasionally beat his wings; thanks to the tailfin that allowed smooth gliding that Hiccup carried everywhere they went should the opportunity present itself to sneak up on a cargo.

"You holding up alright, back there?" called Astrid over her shoulder.

Hiccup, who'd been holding on tight to the handles and leaving his body limp to allow better balance, straightened up to her voice.

"He's okay, Astrid," replied Heather, smiling. "Right, Hiccup?"

"I'm fine, I think," he said, moving his head around like he was trying to figure out who was positioned where again. The absence of Snotlout and the twins bickering suggested they were further behind. "Hey, has anyone considered how my dad will react when he learns about this?" He touched the cloth wrapped around his head, making sure it was still covering his eyes since he was pretty sure he wouldn't notice if it took off. "He's pretty overprotective when he wants to be. I'm afraid he might want to take it out on someone."

"Well, all damage has pretty much been done," said Astrid, twisting around to face the group. "Besides, your dad's in no better shape than you are."

"Oh," said Hiccup, lowering his head. "I forgot about that…" He felt ashamed to have forgotten about his father's incident with Krogan's Flyers. How could he have failed to remember such tragedy? And what else could he possibly have stopped thinking about and forgotten?

"We're almost there," said Fishlegs, pointing at the spot of land on the horizon, growing bigger by the minute.

Hiccup grasped the handles tighter, wondering in what shape Berk would be left in if neither he nor his father could take care of the people. He figured Astrid or even Gobber would take the reins, but even then… Hiccup shook his head to clear his thoughts and immediately regretted it, causing another pounding headache that left him disoriented for a few seconds.

Toothless roared sharply, indicating they were arriving.

Berk.

_Home._

…

Astrid took the responsibility to get Hiccup settled in the Haddock House. The sun had set by the time they'd reached Berk. The smoke rising from the houses suggested most of the villagers had retreated to their cozy homes for the night. The Dragon Riders' arrival had not sounded an alarm of any sort. The sentry at the tower on the edge of the town had simply sent another guard to notify the person in charge. Astrid wondered how Stoick was doing and if he'd soon return to his duties as chief. But it was quite unlikely. If it had been the case, he would've already stormed inside the house, seeking for her to fill in the blanks of the story he would've first have heard from the twins' babbling mouths. The Haddock House was empty when they arrived. Astrid figured Stoick was either doing better and had joined the council in the Great Hall, or his state had worsened and he needed closer attention, settled in Gothi's hut. Astrid would be sure to catch up on that news later. Right now, she needed to take care of Hiccup.

Hiccup settled himself on the edge of his bed while he listened as Astrid worked around the room.

"The Healer back on Berserker Island recommended to keep your room dark," informed Astrid, closing the hatch in the roof and making sure it was locked. The last thing they wanted was some critter to sneak in and take advantage of Hiccup's condition. This was quite unlikely, but Astrid wasn't willing to take any chances even with Toothless guarding his rider at all times.

Hiccup turned his head in direction of the staircase at the sound of footsteps, noticing a presence before Astrid did.

"Alvin," greeted Astrid, a little surprised. "I didn't know you were still on Berk."

"Aye, the old man still isn't feeling quite himself yet," said Alvin, the croaky voice clearly putting Hiccup on edge. Astrid walked to his side when she noticed his body language change to one of tension. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if he told her he didn't recall that Alvin and his Outcasts had proposed to help guard Berk while his father was ill.

Alvin noticed the alarm in Hiccup and remained where he was. "Heard the lad had quite an unfortunate fall," said Alvin, gesturing Hiccup's way. "Whole lot of drama going on within the Haddock bloodline."

"You could say that," said Hiccup, dropping his gaze to the ground from where he was sitting, a little more at ease now. He tightened his grip on the edge of the wooden planks, feeling the curve formed through the years. He rose his head back up, trying his best to guess the level of the Outcast's eyes. "Alvin? How's my father?"

"A little rough around the edges but he'll pull through," said Alvin, making Hiccup only feel slightly better. Knowing his father's condition wasn't worsening was good news. "I've known your father for many years, 'iccup. Trust me when I say he'll be alright."

"Thanks, Alvin," said Astrid, placing her hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"Actually, lass, I was hoping to have a word with yah," said Alvin, gesturing to come with him.

Astrid looked at Hiccup and back at Alvin, slightly taken aback. "Uh, sure," she said, following him downstairs.

The fire had been lit downstairs, warming up the house and providing some light.

"I might not be part of your Berkian Council but I can tell that leaving Berk leaderless will do no good for you Hooligans," said Alvin, going straight to the point with what he was thinking. "Your ol' chief might be able to handle himself right now, but he's in no state to order around yet."

"Alright, what are you saying?" asked Astrid, still not quite understanding the Outcast's point in all of this. "I'm well aware that Stoick is in no shape to take back his role as chief."

"I've overheard the council plenty of times," said Alvin, serious on the matter. "Learning that their heir is in no better form than his father has already struck fear on yo' island."

"Okay, and what exactly do you want _me_ to do?" asked Astrid, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not part of that council. I have no word in it."

"You are 'iccup's second-in-command, aye?" said Alvin to which Astrid cocked her eyebrow. "Without an acting chief to take the reins, Berk will not take long to crumble. Trust meh. I've seen it happen before. It's not because you have dragons that everything is promised to be fine."

Astrid let her gaze drop, understanding Alvin's point of view. He and his men had offered to help out after learning of Stoick's conditions. It had been a relief for both her and Hiccup to know their tribe would not be left defenseless should the battle against the Dragon Hunters and the Flyers stretch all the way up here. Despite Alvin's brute form, Astrid recognized he still had some brains. He'd observed and listened. His advice that she takes place in the council was logic. And part of her screamed for her to listen to the voice of reason and chose tactic over the heart. But Astrid stepped back.

"I can't," said Astrid, meeting the Outcast's surprised gaze.

"You don't even know if the boy will make it through," said Alvin warningly. Astrid knew he wasn't intending to be menacing. He was just following his instincts as a warrior. Astrid understood that feeling more than anyone else. But today, she decided to ignore it.

"Stoick and Hiccup are as strong as they come," said Astrid, challengingly locking eyes with the imposing form of the man. "Hiccup _will _make it through. Johann, Krogan, Ryker, Dagur – even you – have tried killing him time and time again. It's not today that he's gonna go down."

Alvin inhaled, straightening up as he did. Astrid could tell he wasn't satisfied with her response after everything he'd told her. Nodding, the Outcast Chief left the Haddock House, leaving Astrid feeling confused despite having been very confident moments before.

Alvin was right. She knew that. But she felt like if she was to become acting-chief (if that was even an option) she'd be letting Hiccup down, which made absolutely no sense at all when she thought about it. To her, it would be like stepping into a role that didn't belong to her. Acting-chief was Hiccup's job when Berk needed someone to replace Stoick. She didn't want to fill those shoes. But someone would eventually need to.

Leaving her mixed feelings downstairs, she climbed back up to join Hiccup who'd figured out the blankets and pillows and had long fallen into a deep slumber. She sat on the last step, wrapping her arms around her.

What to do? Part of her urged her to run to the Great Hall and take part in the decisions of what to do next while the other begged her to stay here and watch over Hiccup.

She thought back of when Berk had been attacked by a hit-and-run from Dagur at the very beginning of this journey, remembering how she'd blamed herself for not being there to defend her home from the assault. Stoick's words echoed in the back of her mind like a long-forgotten memory, reminding her of her duties as a warrior.

"_I know the feeling," _had said Stoick, placing a firm hand on her shoulder._ "We're warriors, you and I. Sworn to protect."_

"_How do I make this feeling go away_?" she'd asked, tired from the heavy burden weighing on her shoulders.

"_You don't. You can't. So, you own it. You remember it. And you do everything you can to make sure you never feel it again."_

It was as if Stoick had spoken to her yesterday.

She turned to look at Hiccup, the familiar rising and falling of his chest assuring her that he'd be okay. She closed her eyes for a moment, chasing away her emotions to make space for her inner warrior.

Alvin was absolutely right.

This feeling - the one she remembered and owned - she wouldn't let it get to her again. She would make sure of it.

* * *

**Man, I love writing Alvin. It's been a while. You guys perhaps interested in a little throwback? You let me know.**

**Adios!**

**\- Rain**


	14. Chapter 14

Astrid entered the Great Hall with Alvin following behind like an over-sized body-guard. The large room's atmosphere felt heavy the moment she walked in, joining the council gathered at a rectangular table at the far end of the place. Spitelout, Sven, Gothi and Gobber sat at the table, greeting her with stern looks. Well, except for Gobber. The old blacksmith was always in a good mood for some reason. It was almost as if her presence had been expected. She turned around to see Alvin nod respectfully at Stoick before leaving the Great Hall.

"Astrid," said Stoick, looking grim. She was well aware of the whole situation that left their tribe very vulnerable. This was serious.

"Chief," she replied, nodding.

As if she'd interrupted a conversation with her arrival, the debate carried on.

"It's bad enough that Berk needs protecting from another tribe, let alone the Outcasts!" spat Spitelout, though his opinion surprised no one. "We've never been this exposed. When word travels that Berk has no one to fill the throne as chief, believe me, they won't hesitate to take advantage."

"I understand your point of view, Spitelout," said Stoick, rising from his seat with much effort. Spitelout smiled smugly, crossing his arms. "But there are no threats nearby from rumors I've heard. There's no need for a crisis."

"He's right," said Astrid, taking a step forward. She felt all eyes on her as soon as she opened her mouth. "Johann has been eliminated. He's out of the picture. There's no need to take precaution against the enemy if there isn't one to begin with."

"Aye, but what about that Krogan fellow?" asked Spitelout even though he already knew the answer. "Is _he_ out of the picture?"

Astrid looked down, hesitating. But she quickly regained her confidence. "Krogan has lost everything. He escaped, yes. But he has nothing left," she said, shrugging.

"That could actually just make things worse," said Gobber, apologizing to Astrid with a discreet look. "Madmen like Krogan who have nothing to lose are the most dangerous of them all." Gobber looked Stoick's way who nodded his agreement. Astrid noticed it. It was as if a long lost memory had suddenly been resurfaced from the darkest parts of his mind - something he wished he could forget. But she knew that story wouldn't be told tonight.

"So there _is_ a threat," concluded Spitelout. "And we have no acting-chief to take the reins."

Silence filled the room.

"I'll do it," said Astrid, receiving surprised looks from every member of the council.

"Lass," said Sven, a warning to his tone which wasn't threatening at all due to his high-pitched voice. "There are laws. Written laws. You can't break 'em."

"Only the heir can take on the role of acting-chief," agreed Gobber.

"Well our heir is ill and needs more time to recover," said Astrid, starting to lose her patience. "If someone doesn't take a stand, Berk _will_ fall." She looked over her shoulder, feeling Alvin's presence by the entrance of the Great Hall.

Stoick, who'd been silent but listening closely, looked down at her severely. He approached her, and Astrid remained unmoving. She knew she was right. She'd stand her ground to make them see that. Stoick placed a firm hand on her shoulder. At first, she feared he might release his anger at her proposal to lead Berk while both chief and heir were incapable of leading, but the short-lived smile on his face told her otherwise.

"Aye," he said, turning to the other members. The looks on their faces told her they didn't like where this was going. Spitelout especially didn't look so happy. "The lass is right. We need someone to take care of the people, especially during times of uncertainty like this. Astrid Hofferson has always proved a great warrior in the heat of combat and an excellent leader when the time came. She's Hiccup's second-in-command for a reason and I trust her as much as I trust my own son to take care of Berk during my incapacity. So, on behalf of this council, I call for a vote to make Astrid Hofferson acting-chief until I can resume with my duties as chief of Berk."

…

The members of the Berk Council had been in favor that she takes on the reins while both Stoick and Hiccup recovered from their injuries. Everyone had agreed but Spitelout, obviously. It was late at night by then. The moon was at its highest peak in the sky, glowing bright like a lantern full of Fireworms.

She was walking back to the Haddock House to check on Hiccup while Stoick finished discussing with the council. She guessed some disagreements would need to be sorted out.

Acting-chief. Well, more like acting-chieftess. It was a huge responsibility. Yet, she'd stepped in that role plenty of times before to lead the Dragon Riders when Hiccup was off on some personal business or was gone for some other, grimmer reason. But this time it wasn't just a group she was leading. It was a whole tribe.

Alvin joined her side, placing a strong hand on her shoulder blade.

"Well done, lass," he said, a smile on his face. It was hard to believe Alvin had once been Berk's most feared enemy - that he'd once captured Hiccup, allied with Mildew, trained a Whispering Death, blackmailed Heather and used her against them, allied with Dagur the Deranged and so much more just to take down Berk. And now he was helping them sort inner conflict. People did change.

"I didn't think you'd go through with it," he said, retrieving his hands behind his back.

"Well, I didn't, at first," she said, but that had been obvious. "It's not my birthright to be acting-chief. It's Hiccup's job. It always has been. But I also realize that I cannot give up on my whole tribe just to protect him."

"Aye," he agreed. He remembered what his old friend Stoick used to say. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. A wise leader's words."

Astrid smiled, remembering Stoick lecturing it to his son back when they'd returned home for Berk's 400th anniversary. Hiccup had actually listened to for once. That also resulted in being kidnapped by multiple bounty hunters.

"Well, good night, lass," said Alvin, patting her shoulder one last time before taking another path. Astrid simply nodded and climbed up the stairs to the Haddock House.

She threw a few logs in the pile of embers in the fire pit, quickly regenerating the fire. She reached the loft and found Hiccup sitting on the edge of his bed, patting Toothless gently.

"You're awake," said Astrid, a little surprised.

"Couldn't sleep," he replied, sounding sad in a way. He didn't even turn his head around to face her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him. She stared into his empty eyes, missing the glow they used to have. The bright emerald green was fading in a way, becoming dull. His pupils seemed adjusted to the light of the room despite his condition. It was strange and Astrid just wished things could go back the way they were.

"Astrid," he said, tilting his head slightly her way. "What if… What if I never see you again?"

Astrid opened her mouth to reply but couldn't find the words that would be convincing enough for the both of them. She sighed, reaching out to pat Toothless' scaly head. What if he never saw her again? What if this was it? It couldn't be. It just couldn't...

"You will," she said quietly, unable to accept the reality. "I promise."


	15. Chapter 15

**THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER, GUYS! Ah, we've come a long way. Well, not that much but it has been a few weeks (instead of years, you know :))) Alright, see you at the bottom!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Morning yawned on Berk, dragging with it the singing of a few annoying Terrible Terrors. One was probably perched on the roof of the Haddock House, screeching out its lungs.

Astrid jerked awake at the sound and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She sighed and rolled over to face Hiccup, only to blink her eyes at an empty half of a bed. She didn't take long to notice him standing in front of the wide-opened window. Strange, she could've sworn she'd locked it shut the night they'd arrived. Hiccup had his back to hers, staring out the pale morning sky with his red tunic hanging loosely from his shoulders. The rays of the sun poured inside the room, snitching on the dust casually floating around like tiny fragments of crystal.

Astrid frowned in confusion and quietly sat on the edge of the bed, almost as if she was skeptical this was reality. Maybe she was dreaming. She wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case.

"Hiccup?" she said, and Hiccup turned around to face her. He approached her, walking confidently and with much ease. She stood up to help him in case he lost balance, grabbing him by the shoulders. She stared into his eyes, trying to understand what was happening. But then she noticed he was staring right back, shifting from one eye to the other. A smile stretched on his face as he pushed the bangs out of her face with a delicate and precise stroke of his hand like one of a brush on a canvas.

"Hiccup? Are-are you-?"

"Yeah," he answered before she could even finish. "I am. And let me just say. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes upon."

Astrid felt like melting and locked her lips with his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She'd missed the spark in him. That bright light that made his eyes shine and made her feel alive. Bathing in the sunlight, she felt like all darkness in the world could never even dream to touch them. She didn't want to step out of the light. The warmth of the sun on her skin, knowing that Hiccup could see the gold floating around them, made her want to stay here in this moment, till the end of time.

…

Even if Hiccup was slowly recovering his vision didn't mean he was completely healed yet. Hiccup had described his sight to be as if he was looking through Death Song amber. Everything was still blurry, which was understandable. Astrid remembered when Gothi removed the cloth from her eyes when she'd gone blind. Her sight had taken some time to fully return.

The only difference between her accident and Hiccup's was that he'd had a concussion which meant he still couldn't resume with his everyday activities like she had. While she only had her eyes affected by the close-up lightning strike, his story was much more complex. Astrid would make sure he wouldn't be tempted to take Toothless on a midnight flight any time soon.

They'd spent part of the morning walking around town. The great news had sparked some relief around Berk. Knowing that their heir wasn't going to remain blind reassured a lot of Vikings. A lot of the fuss had revolved around this. But now busy minds could get some rest. The council was especially pleased with the news. Knowing Hiccup would be alright took the edge off the elders of the tribe. Spitelout was still grumpy as usual and Astrid would never come to understand why.

Their friends had been very happy to see Hiccup back his feet. Snotlout hadn't shown too much concern, babbling on about how he knew he'd be alright in the end even though everybody knew he'd been as worried as Astrid. Fishlegs hadn't been able to contain his excitement. He'd wanted to hug his best friend so much. But he also knew it would be best if Hiccup wasn't being shoved around too much. He'd promised a bone-crushing hug for later, once he'd be completely healed. The twins, well... They'd brought a mace to celebrate. Astrid hadn't cared what kind of tradition this one was about but she turned them around immediately. Astrid had wished Heather had stayed longer on Berk. But her friend had duties to attend to back on Berserker Island. She couldn't allow herself to be off somewhere else for too long, not after what her people had just been through. She needed to be there for them just as Astrid needed to be here for Berk.

"So now, if my dad can't lead Berk and I'm in no shape to replace him as acting-chief," had asked Hiccup, daring some thinking even when he wasn't supposed to. "Who's taking care of Berk?"

"Oh, don't worry," said Astrid, throwing in a little bit of sing-song in her answer. "I got it under control."

"Wait," said Hiccup, stopping mid-track. "The council voted _you_ as acting-chief?"

"What can I say," she simply replied.

Hiccup's grin stretched wide to both corners of his mouth, still eyeing her in disbelief. "Astrid, that's incredible," he said. "I didn't even know that was possible. Still, I'm proud of you."

"No need," she said, brushing it off. "I only offered myself to keep the order until you or your dad takes the title back. It's no big deal."

"I'm sure you'll do a finer job than I ever will," said Hiccup, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they kept walking. "You always have."

It was night time again. The afternoon of that day had been dedicated to some more rest which Hiccup needed plenty. Gothi had come to pay a visit, instructing the same as the Healer on Berserker Island. Lots of rest. No physical activities and to try not to think too much.

But by the time the sun had set, Hiccup was desperate to go see the stars. Astrid linked her arm with his, leading him around. They walked around the plaza, nodding to patrols they came across.

"What would I do without your exquisite guidance?" said Hiccup, tilting his head at her. He sounded and looked already much better than the night before. Everything he looked at seemed to fascinate him so much, making Astrid giggle from time to time.

Astrid smiled. "Well, you'd probably fall off a cliff, that's for sure," she said, looking up at him. He cocked an eyebrow at her joke, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Astrid winced. "Too soon?"

They reached the edge of town and were greeted by a charming view of the ocean. The powerful waves of the sea crashed against the bones of the island. They sat down, staring up at the calmness from above while listening to the roaring from below.

"Can you see the stars?" asked Astrid, turning to face him. She brought her knees up to her chest, shielding herself from the cool night breeze.

"Yeah," replied Hiccup, looking up, beaming. "They look even brighter now." A shooting star flew right by, reflecting in his eyes. There was a moment of quiet. Just the waves and the wind to fill in the silence.

"Hiccup?" said Astrid while he lowered his gaze to look at the horizon.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what you told me when I lost my sight?" she asked and Hiccup reacted like he'd been caught off guard, immediately blushing.

"Well, I said a lot of things," he said, suddenly seeming nervous. He pressed his hands in the grass behind him, uncomfortable.

Astrid expressed amusement with a burst of laughter. "You said that just because I couldn't see, didn't mean I was helpless," she continued, meeting his eyes that seemed to want to flee her gaze every time. Astrid knew why. It was because she knew that had been exactly how he'd felt. "Knowing you, I want you to know that you weren't. Hiccup, you have me, no matter what."

"I know," he said and Astrid moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder. "I probably wouldn't have pulled through any of this without you."

"Probably not," she agreed, smirking.

"Alright, no need to get so cocky," said Hiccup, rolling his eyes smiling.

"What do you mean?" she said before Hiccup wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, trapping her in an attempt to tickle her. But Astrid only let him win for so long before twisting his wrist as gently as she could in order to avoid any more injuries.

"Alright, alright, you win," he said, giggling despite the frail pain, tapping out. "You always win."

Astrid laughed, edging closer to him to give him a peck on the cheek.

"You knew exactly what you were getting into," she said, flirting playfully.

"Yeah, uhhuh," he said, rolling his eyes before pulling her in close again. "So now."

"So now what?" asked Astrid, looking up at him. She was leaning against his chest with his arms holding her tight, chin resting on top of her head.

Hiccup sighed. "Johann's gone. Krogan too. What now?" he said and Astrid felt like he was more likely speaking to himself.

"Now we rest," she replied, returning her attention on the horizon. "We've been fighting for years to protect dragons from bad people like Johann and Krogan. And we won, Hiccup."

Hiccup looked down at her, pensive.

"It's time for us to come back home. To forget about being soldiers and just be people again," she continued, pulling away from him to meet his gaze. "We've all worked hard to keep the dragons safe. It's time to withdraw."

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Hiccup, looking down. She could sense some tension leave.

"Of course, I'm not saying it'll always be this way," added Astrid, shouldering him lovingly, knowing that a world without adventure would have her betrothed run into the ground. "After all, it's not everyone who appreciates this way of life. I'm sure if we explore the map a little further, we can find some no-good-doers and put them in their rightful place."

Hiccup laughed lightly. "That sounds fun," he said, returning his gaze on the stars above.

"Of course," continued Astrid. "We'll be pretty busy till then."

"How so?"

"Oh, I don't know. Dagur and Mala are getting married. Heather's being made chieftess of the Berserker tribe. Oh, and did I mention we'll have to decide what to do with Dragon's Edge?"

"No. No, you didn't. But thanks for mentioning it. I forgot," he said, pretending to be completely oblivious of their to-do list.

"If you're curious about the King of Dragons' egg," informed Astrid. "I received news that Atali and the Wingmaidens knew someone who knew someone who has a safe place to keep it. And, with Johann out of the picture, I'm pretty confident it will remain safe."

"And the Dragon Eyes?" asked Hiccup, wondering what had become of his tools he'd spent so much time examining and exploring to the point he'd been able to make a working replica.

"The original Dragon Eye was retrieved by Dagur's men," she said. "Yours is where you left it. They're safe."

"Good," he said, thoughtful for a moment. "But I think it would be better for everyone if we destroyed them."

"Why?" She wasn't surprised by his decision but wondered what his motivation was.

"They're amazing tools for dragon knowledge," admitted Hiccup, widening his eyes at the memories of the times when he was just uncovering the possibilities of the artifact. Then his spark faded. "But in the wrong hands, they're just too dangerous."

"I agree," said Astrid. He was right. And she knew it was hard for him to let go of them, especially after working so hard on his own prototype. "It's a wise decision from a future chief."

"Don't say that," said Hiccup, rolling his eyes. "It won't be long before my dad gets better and decides to hand the reins over to me."

"Well," said Astrid, gazing up at the stars one more time, enjoying the gleam they brought to the dark background. She thought of all the times they'd flown these skies. "We sure found that adventure."

"Yeah. I'm just sad it's over," said Hiccup, shrugging. "But I guess there's no reason for us to stay on Dragon's Edge either."

"If stopping bad guys and saving dragons is what you have in mind, I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Astrid, gravity sliding on her face. "There'll always be someone out there seeking to hurt dragons and bring the world to war. Always. It's only a matter of time before they get here. And when they do, we'll be ready. We'll be ready for anything, ready for anyone."

They both looked up at the stars just in time to catch a shooting star. Astrid wished that no matter what the universe threw at them, they'd be able the handle it. As long as she had Hiccup and he had her, they'd make it through. Just as they've made it through so much together already. So long as there was a 'Hiccup and Astrid', there would be light to spark up the darkness.

Always.

_The end._

* * *

**Yasssssss. I guess I was hungry for some Hiccstrid. Man, I kid you not, I've spent a whole hour scrolling through the cutest pics of Hiccup and Astrid I could find, never able to get enough. I would squirm like a squid making inhuman noises. **

**I would like to thank coffee and you guys for supporting me with all your kind reviews! You have no idea how happy it makes me. **

**Now... When I finished writing this, I realized that it wasn't the kind of Hiccup!whump I'd been looking for (even though there was plenty). Yes, there are different kinds, ok. So... I wrote another story :) It's all ready and fresh from the oven. I'll be publishing "Blind Man's Buff" tomorrow and updating it every day as I've done with this one. **

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this story and I'll see you next time!**

**\- Rain**


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